Much remains to be learned about the Bay of Bengal
FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS
A. The extent of exploration and understanding of the Bay of Bengal interactions and links among diverse ecosystems and people is extremely low. There are research gaps in certain sectors; fulfilling these gaps may help to understand more about the Bay of Bengal.
B. Understanding the Bay of Bengal is more than a matter of curiosity. Exploration, inquiry, and monitoring will promote better understanding and protection of the Bay of Bengal’s ecosystems, processes, and resources.
C. Over time, the pattern of the Bay of Bengal’s resource-use has changed significantly. The future sustainability of the resources in the Bay of Bengal depends on our understanding of the available resources and its potential and limitations.
D. Technologies and methods can be used to expand our ability to explore the Bay of Bengal that will provide information to policymakers and leaders in coastal communities.
E. Models can help us understand the complexity of the social-ecological systems of the Bay of Bengal. Models process observations, describe interactions among systems, expose information gaps and forecast change.
F. Exploring, understanding and communicating about the Bay of Bengal ecosystem are interdisciplinary efforts. Cross-sectoral coordination is required among institutions working for biodiversity conservation and coastal communities along with professionals in science, technology, engineering, and math, as well as public outreach and education.
Version: January 2019