Legislation introduced by United States Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) would establish a targeted national program for coral reef research, monitoring, and conservation for areas under the jurisdiction of the Department of Interior. It is a companion measure to S. 1253, introduced earlier this year by Senator Dan Inouye, that authorizes a coral reef program through the Department of Commerce.
The Interior Department manages over 2,000 acres of sensitive coral reef habitat and adjacent submerged land at 20 national wildlife refuges and 9 units of the National Park System in Hawaii, Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the territories of Guam and American Samoa in the Pacific. Of the 4.2 million acres of reefs in the United States, few have been mapped, assessed, or characterized. There is much to learn about the location and biology of coral reefs, their susceptibility to disease, and how they can be restored and sustained.
"The importance of reefs to our economy, culture, and to the stability of our shorelines is becoming increasingly apparent as we begin to understand more about the interdependence of reefs and human activity," Akaka said. "Substantial research shows that reefs are under greater stress than ever before, both from natural causes and human-induced damage. We need to act now before the decline of reefs becomes irreversible."
The Akaka initiative builds on recent Congressional action and steps taken by the Clinton Administration to protect the ecology of coral reef systems. In 1998, President Clinton signed Executive Order 13089 establishing the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force under joint leadership of the Department of Commerce and Department of Interior. The Executive Order directs federal agencies to take steps to protect, manage, research and restore coral ecosystems. The Akaka bill authorizes $20 million a year for coral reef research and conservation efforts through the Department of the Interior. It establishes a coral reef conservation matching grant program that will leverage federal monies with non-federal funds raised through a non-profit foundation. This initiative is consistent with the efforts of the President's Coral Reef Task Force and with the activities of other agencies, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that are involved in coral reef research, monitoring, restoration and conservation. The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to provide grants for coral reef conservation projects in areas under the Department's jurisdiction, through a merit-based, competitive program. Grants will be awarded on a 75 per cent federal and 25 per cent non-federal basis.
An important focus of the Akaka legislation is to encourage community-based conservation efforts that involve local communities, nongovernmental organizations, and academic institutions in the protection of reefs. "Only by making ordinary people responsible for conservation of ocean resources can we alter the types of human activity and behavior that are responsible for the adverse impacts on coral reefs that we glimpse today," Akaka noted.
"The people of Hawaii are well aware of the subtle and interdependent relationship we have with coral reefs," Akaka observed. "But all citizens should appreciate that the health of coral reefs is emblematic of the health of our oceans upon which we depend for so many resources, from clean water to food to pharmaceuticals. Coral reefs are the rain forests of the ocean, a wild, beautiful, complex bountiful resource whose importance to life on earth, much less ourselves, is only beginning to be understood. But the harsh reality is that we are going to lose our reefs if we do not act soon, before we fully understand their role in the great web of marine life.
"There are simply more people on the globe, in more places in the ocean, than ever before. Boats, anchors, snorkelers and divers are entering the water in increasing numbers. We are removing things from the water at an increasing rate -- exotic salt water fish for home aquariums and pieces of coral for houses and home decor. The amount of sediment and pollution runoff onto coral reefs increases with every major shoreline development. It is vital that we start now, to research and preserve our reefs, before human impacts cause irreversible damage to a resource whose essential role in nature is only just beginning to be understood."
The bill will be referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, of which Akaka is a member. Senators Dan Inouye and Bob Graham (D-FL) are cosponsors of the legislation.
