Background
The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Network is a national consortium of federal agencies, tribes, academic institutions, state and local governments, nongovernmental conservation organizations, and other partners working together to support informed public trust resource stewardship. The CESU Network includes more than 500 nonfederal partners and 19 federal agencies across seventeen CESUs representing biogeographic regions encompassing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. insular areas. The CESU Network is well positioned as a platform to support research, technical assistance, education and capacity building that is responsive to long-standing and contemporary science and resource management priorities.
South Pass of the Suwannee River. Image Credit: Larry Woodward/USFWS
Gulf coast toad. Image Credit: Reid Hardin/iNaturalist
The Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (GC-CESU) was established in August 2002, hosted by Texas A&M University through the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute. It provides a platform for partners to conduct research of mutual interest, encourage educational opportunities, and provide technical assistance across the region and beyond. The GC-CESU shares a common border with more (6) other members of the network than any other single CESU.
Currently, GC-CESU membership includes 60 nonfederal partners and 16 federal partners across the seven states in the Gulf Coast Region from Texas to Florida.
Mission
The Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (GC-CESU) facilitates collaboration among federal and state agencies, universities, and non-governmental organizations to provide relevant research, education, and technical assistance for the conservation and stewardship of natural and cultural resources within and beyond the Gulf Coast region.
