Weekly Estuary Update

I also reviewed the comments from communities in the metropolitan area on the CCMP (Comprehensive Estuary Management and Conservation Plan Review). These comments are essential for the Estuary and the various communities to reach an agreement, as the CCMP is the master document that guides our work as an organization and as a partnership.

Besides working in the office, I also had the opportunity to work in the field, taking water samples from Laguna del Condado for bacteriological analysis, and going to Laguna Torrecilla in a motorboat to conduct a microplastic characterization and reduction study. These field experiences make the work more dynamic and give you a perspective on the importance of what you do in the office, allowing you to see the results firsthand.

What surprised me most about my stay were the findings of the “Economic Valuation Study.” The economic value of the estuary is much higher than I expected, as is the wide range of ecosystem services it impacts. This highlights the importance of the estuary to Puerto Rico, not only in a moral sense (wanting to care for and maintain the environment), but also in a monetary sense.

This experience in the estuary has shown me the environmental importance of protecting ecosystems like mangroves, wetlands, and reefs, but I was unaware of the magnitude of their economic impact. It helped me strengthen my ability to analyze technical documents, identify relevant information, and communicate it in a simple and understandable way. It also allowed me to better understand how the environment, the economy, and public policy decisions are related. This is relevant to my studies, as it helps me better understand how organizations that seek to generate a public impact operate and how they make decisions with limited resources.