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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) is a partnership between NOAA agencies, established in 2000. The program is a multidisciplinary approach to managing and understanding coral reef ecosystems through research and the publication of key data to support relevant partners involved in coral reef restoration.

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program Logo
Abbreviation	CRCP
Formation	2000
Type	Intergovernmental Organisation
Headquarters	Silver Spring, Maryland
Key people	Jennifer Koss (Director)
Parent organization	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Website	https://coralreef.noaa.gov

Background

The CRCP was established under the Coral Reef Conservation Act and Presidential Executive Order 18089 in order to fulfil the NOAA's obligations under these statutes. Funding for the program is provided by the NOAA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The main role of the CRCP is to gather and present scientific information that coastal and marine resource managers and other decision-makers require to address the various threats facing coral reef ecosystems in U.S. and surrounding waters. All research and data found by the CRCP is publicly available on the Coral Reef Information System. Specific duties conducted by the CRCP includes monitoring and assessments of marine ecosystems, mapping, forecasting oceanographic conditions, communications and data management.

NOAA CRCP scuba diver surveying bleached corals

As well as conducting research, the CRCP also financially supports a number of partners including institutions of higher education and not-for-profit organisations, by awarding grants to projects involved in coral reef ecosystem management and restoration. The program strives to fund at least $8 million in grants each year to partners involved in coral reef conservation management projects. In the 2018 Fiscal Year, the program provided more than $26 million in funding towards coral reef projects, of which $8 million was awarded in grants to support conservation and restoration projects across the U.S..

Agencies Involved

The CRCP is made up of several NOAA Line Offices including the National Ocean Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service.

• The National Ocean Service is the NOAA partner that is responsible for overseeing budget activities for the CRCP and other NOAA agencies. The National Ocean Service also conducts a number of partnered activities with the CRCP including mapping and monitoring of coral reef ecosystems.
• The National Marine Fisheries Service is an agency focused on reducing and controlling the effects of overfishing, and works closely with the CRCP to manage the effects of overfishing on coral reef ecosystems
• The National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Serviceis another NOAA agency whose main role is to monitor coral reef indices through sensors. This data is shared with NOAA bodies including the CRCP, which can then be applied to management decision making.
• NOAA's Oceanic and Atmospheric Research body coordinates data collection relating to atmospheric and oceanic parameters including climate variability and ocean currents. Oceanic and Atmospheric Research is another partner of the CRCP, providing the organisation with key data

The CRCP also works closely with a number of external partners including state and territorial governments, academic institutions and non-government and intergovernmental organisations.

Objectives

The mission of the Coral Reef Conservation Program is outlined in the Coral Reef Conservation Act and can be summarised as to "protect, conserve and restore coral reef resources by maintaining healthy ecosystem functioning". The objectives of the program are consolidated into the following four key pillars, as outlined in the NOAA governmental webpage.

Projects and Initiatives

Status Reports

One of the CRCP's most significant contributions to the management of U.S. coral reef ecosystems is the development of a periodic, national-level assessment on the condition of U.S. coral reef areas. The CRCP partnered with the Integration and Application Network (IAN) at the University of Maryland Centre for Environmental Science (UMES) in forming 'status reports' to present the data collected from the periodic assessments.

Both biological and physical data is collected by UMES-IAN and NOAA scientists in coral reef areas including: American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands, Guam, Hawaiian Archipelago, and the Pacific Remote Islands. The status reports involve the assessment of several indicators which are synthesised into overall condition scores. The indicators are based on four main categories: coral and algae, fish, climate and human connections.

The purpose of the reports is to establish both a baseline and a record to track changes overtime and evaluate the overall conditions of the U.S. coral reef ecosystems. The reports are also part of CRCP's larger initiative to communicate complex information in a clear and concise manner in order to inform communities and decision-makers.

Coral Reef Information System (CoRIS)

The CRCP operates an information portal known as 'CoRIS', that provides public access to all coral reef data and information collected and managed by the NOAA. This information portal is a key function of the CRCP, making data accessable to all coral reef management decision-makers. CoRIS is made up of a number of databases including the 'NOAA Deep Sea Coral Data Portal', which provides access to data relating to deep sea coral and sponges.

Funding for Hurricanes Irma and Maria

In 2017 Hurricanes Maria and Irma caused severe damage to the coral reefs in Florida and Puerto Rico, impacting ecosystem vulnerability and resilience. Funding to assist coral restoration was provided by the NOAA's CRCP and partners including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and National Marine Fisheries Service. The program led efforts to assess the impact of the hurricanes on local coral reef ecosystems and restore damage. The funds were used towards research and assessment to collect data on the impact of the hurricanes on the reefs and other crucial information, vital for effective decision-making. It was found that overturned coral reefs in Puerto Rico appeared to have macroalgal overgrowth, as evident in the figure, as a result of stress from the 2017 hurricanes.

Macroalgal is distinguishable from coral by its pink, fleshy appearance.

Scientists are concerned with the rapid growth of this macroalgae, and such findings are vital for effective management decision-making for the coral reef ecosystem

Funding the Hawaii Coastal Uses Mapping Project

The CRCP funds a number of projects and programs that are interested in the sustainable management of U.S. coral reef ecosystems, including the Hawaii Coastal Uses Mapping Project. The project involved gathering information on the location and intensity of coastal human activities in coral reef ecosystems surrounding Hawaii by using a participatory geographic information systems (PGIS) methodology. PGIS is an effective means to obtain critical sociospatial information which includes data regarding the location of resources and the location of ecosystem related concerns, and is very useful information for a number of stakeholders involved in coastal ecosystem management including state and federal managers. Prior to the implementation of the program there was very little sociospatial data collected on the Hawaii coast.