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Protect and sustain the biodiversity, health, heritage, and ecological, social, and economic values of coral reef ecosystems.

Our nation's coral reefs cover approximately 17, 000 square kilo meters. Ninety percent of them are associated with U.S. islands in the Western Pacific (Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas); the remainder are located off Florida, Georgia, Texas, and U.S. islands in the Caribbean. These coral reefs support thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in annual revenues from tourism, recreation, and fishing; are valuable sources of new medicines and biochemicals; help prevent shoreline erosion; and provide life-saving protection from storms.

Despite their unique value, coral reefs in the U.S. and around the world are quickly being destroyed by a powerful combination of stresses, such as polluted runoff, sedimentation, unsustainable fishing practices, collection and trade in reef species, groundings and other damage caused by commercial and recreational vessel traffic, diseases, marine debris, and climate change. During the past two years, unprecedented levels of coral bleaching and mortality associated with abnormally high sea temperatures and other factors have occurred. As a result, approximately 60% of the world's coral reefs are at medium or high risk from human impacts, and many have been degraded beyond recovery.

As part of the National Ocean Conference in June 1998, President Clinton signed the Coral Reef Protection Executive Order (13089) to preserve and protect the biodiversity, health, heritage, and ecological, social, and economic values of U.S. coral reef ecosystems and the marine environment. To fulfill its protection efforts, the Order also created the interagency U.S. Coral Reef ask Force. Additional efforts are now required to effectively protect, restore, and sustainably use valuable U.S. coral reef ecosystems for current and future generations.

Ongoing Concerns

• The U.S. has not yet developed a coordinated national strategy to protect and restore coral reef ecosystems from the effects of human activities and natural stressors.
• The U.S. lacks a comprehensive mapping or monitoring program to assess or track the condition of U.S. coral reefs.
• Financial and technical resources are inadequate to help states, territories, communities, and other nations sustainably manage their coral reefs.
• As the world's largest importer of coral reef species, the U.S. may be driving the unsustainable use of coral reefs in other nations.

Recommendations

• Implement Executive Order 13089 as quickly as possible through joint efforts of federal, state, and local agencies; nongovernmental partners; and other nations as needed.
• Implement priority actions of the U.S. Coral Reef ask Force, including the commitment to prevent federal agency degradation of reefs consistent with Executive Order 13089.
• Increase research efforts to understand the causality behind the current worldwide decline of coral reefs and how it relates to disease, temperature change, and pollution.
• Assist in the design and implementation of local and regional reef management plans that integrate protected areas and fishery management with coastal zone and marine management planning efforts, and increase support for local actions.
• Increase monitoring, protection, and sustainable use of coral reefs worldwide by supporting international partnerships at national, regional, and global scales.
• Increase efforts to stem the problem of trade in nonsustainably harvested corals.
• Work with the International Maritime Organization and other international partners to prevent destructive anchoring of ships on coral reefs and provide safe, alternate anchorage for mariners.
• Seek Congressional support for the Clinton/Gore Lands Legacy Initiative, which proposes $10.3 million – a 30-fold increase over current funding levels for coral reef protection.

For more information

http://state_of_coast.noaa.gov/bulletins/html/crf_08/crf.html
http://coralreef.gov/
http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/oceans/coral/
http://www.wri.org/indictrs/reefrisk.htm