Proceedings of IUCN/WCPA-EA-4 Taipei Conference March 18-23, 2002, Taipei, Taiwan THE RED SEA MARINE PEACE PARK: Early Lessons Learned from a Unique Trans-boundary Cooperative Research, Monitoring and Management Program Michael P. Crosby 1 , Bilal Al-Bashir 2 , Mohammad Badran 3 , Samir Dweiri 2 , Reuven Ortal 4 , Michael Ottolenghi 5 , Avi Perevolotsky 4 1 The Senior Science Advisor for Marine and Coastal Ecosystems, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -and- US Agency for International Development, USA Tel: 202-712-1750; Fax: 202-216-3174; E-mail:michael.crosby@noaa.gov or mcrosby@usaid.gov 2 Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, JORDAN; 3 Marine Science Station, JORDAN; 4 Nature and Parks Authority, ISRAEL; 5 Hebrew University, ISRAEL ABSTRACT Israel and Jordan share approximately 41 km of shoreline around the Northern Gulf of Aqaba and are promoting this region as a tourism destination center with water projects, free zones, and other coastal infrastructure developments that are accelerating already rapid population growth and commercial development rates. These activities, many of which provide enormous economic development opportunities for both countries, could potentially have significant harmful impacts on the Gulf's coral reef ecosystem with subsequent overall negative economic impacts from loss of tourism. Each country's individual development policies impact the other's marine resources and their ability to effectively manage those resources. Managers from the region have begun developing policies and regulations for their coastal and marine environment, with support from their national governments and international assistance. Working independently has only provided the countries with an understanding of pieces of a common seascape and coastal environment, which inhibits effective management of their marine resources. To facilitate the incorporation of new and existing knowledge into Gulf of Aqaba management and policy decisions, a new paradigm for the interaction and role of integrated, multi-disciplinary science, management and education/outreach efforts must be developed. A pioneering effort to employ and test this new paradigm is being implemented through the Red Sea Marine Peace Park Cooperative Research, Monitoring and Management Program (RSMPP Program). The RSMPP Program is a joint undertaking between the government of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan that fosters trans-boundary cooperation leading to greater conservation and sustainable use of the outstanding coral reef ecosystem resources. This unique program was initiated in full partnership with resource management agencies and marine research institutions in Israel and Jordan, facilitated through the US. The overall goal of the RSMPP Program is to provide resource managers in Israel and Jordan the scientific understanding of the basic physical, chemical, and biological processes in the Gulf of Aqaba, and the impacts of human activities on those resources and processes. This cooperative venture is enabling the countries to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of their management efforts. The project is helping to strengthen the management and 233