The Statewide Ecosystem Assessment of Coastal and Aquatic Resources (SEACAR) project was developed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection (RCP), through consultation with Florida Coastal Management Program (FCMP) partner agencies, to enhance existing coastal and aquatic management efforts and address identified management needs. The project was designed to look at site-specific status and trends of the submerged resources within RCP managed areas to gain statewide perspective. Each of RCP's managed areas is unique. However, visualizing the state's estuarine and marine managed areas as a whole and looking at the habitats that connect them allows us to build upon a common goal of preserving their scientific, economic, aesthetic and recreational values for the benefit of future generations.

The SEACAR project is a collaborative effort engaging a diverse group of stakeholders. Federal, state, local and nongovernmental agencies as well as academic institutions invest time and money in monitoring, protecting and restoring the state's natural resources. By utilizing current scientific knowledge about our ecosystems, we can look for ways to improve conservation efforts through partnerships, standardizing monitoring methods, reducing duplication of efforts, and pooling resources to capitalize on research and funding opportunities.

The project utilizes current knowledge and scientific data from coastal and marine managed areas to assess the status and long-term trends of submerged habitats, within RCP's estuarine and marine managed areas, to provide the best available science to help guide planning, management, restoration, and policy decisions.

SEACAR Goals:

• Provide consistent data to help coastal managers and planners prioritize and focus management and restoration efforts.
• Establish a consistent system-wide approach to show statewide and site-specific trends over time.
• Translate valuable ecological data into easy-to-read, publicly available documents capable of informing Florida's diverse population of coastal stakeholders.
• Inform management plans developed for each aquatic preserve and national estuarine research reserve.
• Determine the frequency of habitat assessments to allow for adaptive management.
• Promote increased awareness among legislators and the public to improve:
  • Environmental literacy.
  • Policy changes when necessary.
  • Support for scientifically sound policies and programs.

Florida has become a data-rich state due to researchers and managers providing a wealth of knowledge over the years relating to the state's environmental resources. However, environmental monitoring programs are not always well described or easily located. The SEACAR Data Discovery Interface was created to provide user-friendly, informative and interactive pages linked to the wealth of environmental data, spatial data, protocols and publications across the state.

The SEACAR Data Discovery Interface provides standardized data for submerged and coastal habitats in one place and includes a mapping feature to allow users to visualize data and overlay monitoring sites to assess data gaps, opportunities and partnerships.

SEACAR is funded by a grant provided through the Florida Coastal Management Program, under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection oversees a total of 45 managed areas around the state that include a wide variety of marine, estuarine, aquatic, and upland habitats: