NOAA today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, May 8 on the preparation of a National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy (“National Strategy”) for the Coral Reef Conservation Program (“Program”).
The Program is implemented in coastal and marine waters of Florida, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, U.S. Pacific Remote Island Area, and targeted international regions including the wider Caribbean, Coral Triangle, South Pacific, and Micronesia.
The National Strategy will replace the existing Strategic Plan that was released in 2018 and will be developed in consultation with the Interior Secretary, U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, covered States and Native entities, and the Defense Secretary. It will address areas including threats to coral reef ecosystem resilience, the status of conservation areas including the use of marine protected areas to serve as replenishment zones, and a designation of priority conservation and restoration areas to support grant reviews and approvals.
