[Coral-List] 82 corals being considered for Endangered Species Act protection--what would protection mean?

[DeeVon Quirolo]

Thanks for your good work to protect corals!

All the best, DeeVon

On Fri, Jun 29, 2012 at 2:41 PM, Shaye Wolf
<swolf at biologicaldiversity.org>wrote:

> We have been following the discussions about the 82 coral species that are
> being considered for protection under the US Endangered Species Act. Based
> on the questions that have been raised, we posted a factsheet on what
> Endangered Species Act protection would mean for these corals. This sheet
> addresses questions on why the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned
> NMFS to protect 83 corals under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), how we
> chose these 83 corals, the protections that the ESA can provide to listed
> corals, how the ESA helps endangered species including threatened elkhorn
> and staghorn corals in the Caribbean, how ESA protection would affect
> research activities, and how you can comment on the NMFS Status Review for
> the 82 candidate corals.
>
>
>
> The factsheet, the Center's petition, and other information on our coral
> conservation efforts are here:
>
>
> <
> http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/coral_conservation/index.html
> >
> http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/coral_conservation/index.html
>
>
> http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/coral_conservation/pdfs/Fact_Sh
> eet_Coral_ESA_Listing_v4.pdf
>
>
>
> We provided a summary of the main points of the factsheet below, but please
> see the factsheet for more information.
>
>
>
> Thanks for your interest in this topic! Many of you have important
> information on the status and threats to the 82 candidate corals.
> Submitting
> this information to NMFS during the current comment period would be helpful
> to the status review team and this process.
>
>
>
> Shaye Wolf, Ph.D.
>
> Climate Science Director
>
> Center for Biological Diversity
>
> swolf at biologicaldiversity.org
>
>
>
> Miyoko Sakashita
>
> Oceans Program Director
>
> Center for Biological Diversity
>
> miyiko at biologicaldiversity.org
>
>
>
>
>
> Why did the Center for Biological Diversity petition NMFS to protect 83
> corals under the Endangered Species Act, and how did the Center select
> these
> corals?
>
>
>
> Corals face severe, ongoing threats ranging from habitat destruction,
> pollution, overharvest, and disease-and now ever-increasing ocean warming
> and ocean acidification. Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection provides a
> set of strong conservation tools that complement and add to existing
> management tools for corals, which will help corals better survive and
> recover. That is why, in 2009, the Center submitted a 198-page scientific
> petition to NMFS requesting ESA protection for 83 corals. We chose corals
> that occur in US waters (and thus can benefit most from ESA protection),
> with estimated population declines of 30% or greater over 30 years
> according
> to the IUCN.
>
>
>
> What benefits can ESA protection provide to these corals?
>
>
>
> ESA protection would make it unlawful for US citizens to harm or kill
> listed
> corals. It would lead to the protection of critical habitat areas for
> corals
> in US waters. It would also require science-based recovery plans for the
> corals with specific management and research actions aimed to help them
> survive and recover.
>
>
>
> Perhaps most significantly, US government agencies would need to consult
> with federal biologists to ensure that their actions do not harm listed
> corals. Through this consultation process, federal permits for activities
> that could harm corals and their habitat--such as water pollution,
> dredging,
> commercial fishing, and coastal construction--must analyze their impacts on
> corals and take steps to reduce or eliminate them, thereby minimizing
> stressors on coral reefs. The consultation process would also apply to
> federal actions that harm corals through significant greenhouse gas
> emissions that increase global warming. This could result in emissions
> reductions that help protect corals. Finally, the listing process promotes
> greater awareness about threats to corals, and provides public outreach
> opportunities.
>
>
>
> Has ESA protection benefitted listed species?
>
>
>
> The ESA has prevented the extinction of 99% of species that have been
> listed
> to date. One study estimated that 227 listed plants and animals would have
> disappeared by 2006 if not for the ESA's protections. A recent analysis
> concluded that the ESA has been very successful in recovering listed
> species; 90 percent of sampled species are recovering at the rate specified
> by their recovery plans
>
>
>
> Has ESA protection helped listed elkhorn and staghorn corals in the
> Caribbean?
>
>
>
> Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and staghorn (A. cervicornis) corals, which were
> listed as "threatened" in 2006, have received a number of important ESA
> protections. These include the designation of almost 3,000 square miles of
> protected critical habitat in US waters. US federal agencies have been
> required to modify a wide range of projects to reduce harms to these
> corals,
> including mitigation to harbor construction projects, the laying of
> undersea
> cable, and fisheries management plans. ESA protection also allows citizens
> to challenge government actions that are harming corals. For example, the
> Center is challenging NMFS's authorization of targeted parrotfish fishing
> that threatens the health of these listed corals.
>
>
>
> How would ESA protection affect research activities?
>
>
>
> ESA listing typically directs more research attention and funding to listed
> species. The number of published studies on a species often increases
> significantly following a petition and/or listing. In the case of the
> 82-petitioned corals, the listing petition spurred the development of
> NMFS's
> 581-page Status Review, one of the most comprehensive scientific reviews on
> corals to date. The listing process has also led to new studies to fill
> knowledge gaps on candidate corals. Although researchers will need to apply
> for an additional permit for work on listed corals, NMFS grants permits for
> a wide range of research and restoration activities on listed species.
>
>
>
> What did the NMFS Status Review determine?
>
>
>
> The NMFS status review team determined that 56 of the 82 candidate coral
> species are "likely" or "more likely than not" to fall below a critical
> risk
> threshold for extinction by 2100
>
>
>
> How can you comment on the Status Review?
>
>
>
> NMFS is soliciting information from scientists, government agencies, and
> other interested parties on the status and threats to these corals
> throughout their range. Submit comments by July 31, 2012 to
> <mailto:NMFS.82Corals at noaa.gov> NMFS.82Corals at noaa.gov
>
>
>
> The NMFS status review report and supporting information are here:
>
>  <http://www.nmfs.noaa.govstories/2012/04/4_13_12corals_petition.html>
> http://www.nmfs.noaa.govstories/2012/04/4_13_12corals_petition.html
>
>
>
> The Center's petition, factsheet, and other information on our coral
> conservation efforts are here:
>
> http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/coral_conservation/index.html
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
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>



-- 
DeeVon Quirolo

www.reefrelieffounders.com

You must be the change you want to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi

We can do no great things; only small things with great love.
Mother Theresa

The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics
whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can
dream of things that never were.
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