[Coral-List] BUSH ADMINISTRATION CALLS FOR GREATER PROTECTION OF NATION’S CORAL REEFS

[Roger B. Griffis]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 8, 2007

*** NEWS FROM NOAA ***
NATIONAL OCEANIC & ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
WASHINGTON, DC

CONTACT: Richard Mills or Dan Nelson, U.S. Dept of Commerce 202-482-4883
***

BUSH ADMINISTRATION CALLS FOR GREATER PROTECTION OF NATION'S CORAL REEFS

The Bush Administration delivered proposed legislation to Congress 
today calling for greater protection for the nation's coral reefs. 
The bill, the Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Amendment Act of 
2007, reauthorizes the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 and adds 
greater protections for coral reefs while enhancing marine debris 
removal and increasing the government's ability to work through 
cooperative partnerships.

"Our coral reefs continue to be severely threatened and this bill 
continues the Administration's aggressive commitment to ocean 
stewardship as called for in the President's Ocean Action Plan," said 
Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez. "It will give us the tools we 
need not only to protect corals, but also to help restore this 
valuable resource."

The Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program supports 
effective management and sound science. Through this program, NOAA 
partners with scientific, private, government and nongovernmental 
organizations at the local, state, federal and international levels 
to preserve, sustain and restore valuable coral reef ecosystems.

"The Administration proposal for reauthorizing this Act is an 
important step forward for the partnerships that are working to 
conserve our coral reefs, said Interior Secretary Dick Kempthorne. 
"It will help the coral conservation programs within the Department, 
and increase our ability to assist the States and territories with 
their efforts."

Corals reefs, a critical part of the ocean's ecosystem, teem with 
fish, lobsters, sponges, sea turtles and thousands of other creatures 
that rely on them for their survival. Coral reefs also are important 
to the economy, providing millions of people around the globe with 
food, coastal storm protection and jobs. Nearly a quarter of the 
world's reefs are under imminent risk of collapse from human 
pressures and a fifth have already been effectively destroyed and 
show no immediate prospects for recovery.

Major causes of reef decline are land-based pollution, disease, 
habitat destruction, over fishing, climate change, vessel groundings, 
and coastal development. In order to address threats that have 
continued to increase since the original legislation was passed in 
2000, this bill explicitly focuses implementation and management on 
better understanding issues associated with climate change such as 
coral disease and bleaching. The proposal will also mandate the 
establishment of consistent guidelines for maintaining environmental 
data, products and information allowing for more effective management 
approaches.

Seeking to address vessel impacts to reefs, the legislation 
establishes a new emergency response account to fund emergency 
response, stabilization, and restoration following incidents that 
injure coral reefs. The bill also makes it unlawful to destroy or 
injure any coral reef and allows the government to recover response 
and restoration costs from responsible parties. It provides for the 
removal of abandoned fishing gear, marine debris, and abandoned 
vessels from coral reef ecosystems in federal waters and allows for 
assistance to states for removal of marine debris.

Recognizing that NOAA's and DOI's existing partnerships are some of 
the most effective assets in addressing threats to corals, the bill 
is designed to facilitate existing partnerships with other agencies, 
governments and organizations to help protect and recover corals. 
NOAA and DOI now co-chair the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, co-manage 
the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument with the State of 
Hawaii, and cooperate in many other coral reef conservation efforts.

The proposed legislation would for the first time establish a damage 
recovery process for the coral reefs in National Wildlife Refuges, 
and increase the effectiveness of the current authorities for 
recovering damages to reefs in National Parks and National Marine 
Sanctuaries. It also provides statutory authorization for Department 
of the Interior coral conservation activities, which are now 
conducted under general conservation authorities that do not mention 
coral reefs.

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On the Web:
http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov/crca.html