Federal Resilience Programs: NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program | Article

Coral reefs are diverse ecosystems that cover less than one percent of the ocean’s floor but support over 25 percent of the ocean’s fish and provide half a billion people worldwide with food, income, and protection from storms and shoreline erosion. In the United States alone, coral reefs provide more than $3.4 billion annually in services such as fishing and tourism. Coral reefs exist off the coast of seven U.S. states and territories: Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Around the world, coral reefs are in danger due to local threats such as diseases, storms, pollution, sedimentation, and unsustainable fishing. Global climate change, however, poses the greatest risk to coral reefs and compounds many of the other threats. As a result of climate change, ocean temperatures are increasing, causing corals to expel the algae living in their tissues—a process known as coral bleaching—which can be detrimental for coral reef ecosystems. Additionally, as the ocean absorbs additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it becomes more acidic, reducing corals’ ability to construct their skeletons. Nearly 75 percent of coral reefs worldwide are threatened, and by 2050, that share is expected to rise to 100 percent.

Federal programs, such as the Coral Reef Conservation Program, aim to make coral reef ecosystems and coastal communities more resilient to climate change impacts and other environmental threats.

What is the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP)?

Passed in 2000, the Coral Reef Conservation Act (P.L. 106-562) established the Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), which aims to protect, conserve, and restore coral reefs by maintaining healthy ecosystems. CRCP has four goals: increase resilience to climate change, reduce land-based sources of pollution, improve the sustainability of fisheries, and restore viable coral populations. CRCP has also set several long-term conservation goals, one of which is having resilient coral populations in key sites by 2040.

How does CRCP relate to climate adaptation and resilience?

Healthy coral reef ecosystems, which can be achieved through CRCP, reduce wave energy by 97 percent, protecting communities and coastal infrastructure from erosion, storms, and flooding. A 2019 United States Geological Survey study found that coral reefs provide flood protection for more than 18,000 people in the United States and protect $1.8 billion worth of coastal infrastructure.

Climate resilience is a key pillar of CRCP. The program provides science and research on climate change and ocean acidification to marine resource managers, allowing decision-makers to integrate the current and future impacts of climate change into their work. Climate change is already greatly affecting coral reefs, but by reducing non-climate stressors like pollution and biodiversity loss, CRCP helps coral reef ecosystems be more resilient to climate change.

How does CRCP work?

CRCP is a partnership between scientists from across the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who come together to produce scientific information and provide technical assistance and training on coral reef issues. CRCP supports coral reef mapping and monitoring, oceanic forecasting, and the Coral Reef Information System, which is a publicly-available coral reef database primarily used by NOAA offices and states and territories.

Each year, CRCP awards at least $8 million in grants and cooperative agreements to support coral reef conservation projects and scientific studies. Financial assistance is matched by nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, regional fishery management councils, commercial entities, community groups, and natural resource management agencies, and all projects must focus on at least one of CRCP’s goals.

CRCP in Action: Saving Hawaii's Coral Reefs

From 2014 to 2017, the world experienced the longest and most-widespread coral bleaching event spurred by high ocean temperatures in recorded history. The bleaching event ultimately caused 70 percent of corals worldwide to experience heat stress; corals in Hawaii were hit especially hard. The damage in Hawaii varied by location, but up to 90 percent of corals were bleached in some areas of the state. While bleached corals are extremely vulnerable, they can recover, especially if local threats are reduced. To promote reef recovery, CRCP partnered with Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources to produce the Coral Bleaching Recovery Plan. The plan recommended the establishment of a network of no-take Marine Protected Areas and Herbivore Fishery Management Areas to reduce local threats and increase reef resilience. Officials and scientists from Hawaii’s government and CRCP are continuing to monitor reef recovery in the state, which helps identify the areas most resilient, and vulnerable, to a warming ocean.

CRCP Accomplishments in 2020

One of the CRCP's most significant areas of work is providing financial awards for conservation projects and scientific studies. In 2020, $10.5 million was awarded through CRCP for coral reef conservation, with partner matches totaling $6.5 million. Of the total, $1 million in coral restoration grants were provided to develop methods to improve coral reef resilience. Additionally, the CRCP published its 2020 status report for coral reef ecosystems, which will help assist with coral reef conservation.

What is the current state of CRCP?

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, about $43 million was requested for CRCP, a $10 million increase from FY 2021 enacted levels. One of the main priorities of the CRCP, as outlined in the budget request, is to expand research on stony coral tissue loss disease, which began spreading in the Caribbean in 2014 and can be lethal to corals. The budget request also aligns with President Biden’s 2021 Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, which calls for climate change mitigation through strengthening the resilience of coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs.

Author: Savannah Bertrand