Contact: Greg Hernandez, NOAA For Immediate Release
3/13/97
Coral reefs in the United States are facing a crisis that can have an adverse impact on the economic well being of coastal communities dependent on them for jobs and income, said a top official today from the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"The degradation and loss of coral reefs is a serious economic and environmental crisis," testified Terry Garcia, Commerce's acting assistant secretary for oceans and atmosphere, before the House Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation.
NOAA is a leader in the global effort known as the International Coral Reef Initiative, which aims to bring attention to these unique and beautiful ecosystems that today face grave dangers from a variety of threats, many human-caused. 1997 has been declared the International Year of the Coral Reef.
"The contributions that healthy coral reef ecosystems can make to coastal and regional economies are incredible," Garcia said. "Tourism is a major industry in coral reef communities such as the Florida Keys, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Hawaii. More than three million tourists visit the Florida Keys every year, spending more than $300 million. "These ecosystems," said Garcia, "are the foundation for thousands of jobs and billions of dollars for coastal communities."
Coral reefs are also vital because they protect coastal communities from storms and wave damage. The thousands of plants and animals also have biomedical applications that have produced promising leads in the search for anticancer compounds, antibiotics, pain suppressers, sun screens and other products.
Many of the same scientists, academics, managers and government participants supporting the International Year of the Coral Reef helped put together the International Coral Reef Initiative which, in 1995, issued a strong call to action. Directed at governments, the Initiative encourages countries and other partners to develop national and local initiatives to reverse the decline of reef ecosystems and thereby enhance the well-being of the communities that depend on them. The United States has followed suit.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is the primary federal agency within the United States charged with the stewardship of our domestic coral reefs. In keeping with the call to action in the International Coral Reef Initiative, NOAA has developed an action plan to build on existing activities and help fill the gaps in the overall U.S. effort to protect and wisely use coral reefs. NOAA's contributions address three priority areas of the U.S. Coral Reef Initiative: Science for improved management, solutions for conservation and sustainable development, and improved information and outreach.
In late February NOAA and its partners launched a national awareness campaign to educate the public on the state of coral reefs and their decline. The year-long campaign is called "Coral Reefs: the Rainforests of the Sea."
There are actions people can take. NOAA has published a brochure entitled A25 Things You Can Do To Save Coral Reefs.@ It can be found on the Internet at: http://www.noaa.gov/public-affairs/coral-reef.html.
Garcia told subcommittee members that "we must continue our work to prevent the continued decline and destruction of coral reef ecosystems in the United States and worldwide."