2002 General Coral Reef Conservation Awards
The General Coral Reef Conservation Program is a matching grants program within the broader NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program authorized by the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. The program funds coral reef conservation projects that are consistent with the goals of the Act and the National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs. In 2002, NOAA provided over $500,000 to support local and government agencies, universities, and non-governmental organizations for projects that preserved, sustained and restored coral reef ecosystems, promoted wise management and sustainable use, developed sound scientific information about coral reef resources, or increased public awareness. Eleven awards were made under the General Coral Reef Conservation Program leveraging a total of $1,096,176.
Preserve, Sustain, and Restore Coral Reef Resources
- The Mote Marine Laboratory was awarded funds to carry out
a project in Florida involving the culture of selected scleractinian
and gorgonian corals for reef restoration and coral biology
research. The project also proposed to identify disease resistant
coral phenotypes for coral reef restoration.
- The Ocean Conservancy was awarded funds for a project in U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) to document, evaluate and publicize the effectiveness of existing marine protected areas (MPA's) in the USVI with emphasis on Red Hind Marine Conservation District; identify and assess USVI inshore areas for potential MPA designation contributing to an effective MPA network; identify, describe, and conserve grouper and snapper spawning aggregation sites; and foster dialogue and collaboration among the various stakeholders in the USVI.
Promote Wise Management and Sustainable Use
- The International Marinelife Alliance (IMA) was awarded funds
for a project in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI)
to work with government agencies, universities, and local communities
to ensure that the growing live reef food fish trade (LRFFT)
is conducted sustainably through a community-based conservation
approach. This project emphasized collaborative assessments
of the LRFFT, its socio-economic and environmental impacts,
and the degree of management and linkages to subsistence fisheries.
The project produced participatory management recommendations
for building local capacity to eliminate the destructive aspects
of this trade and protect RMI’s coral reef ecosystems.
- The Palau Division of Fish and Wildlife Protection received
funding for a project to reduce the destruction of Palau’s
marine environment through improved monitoring and data collection,
improved sharing of key data and information with other government
and non-government agencies, and increased awareness of environmental
issues.
- The Palau Conservation Society (PSC) was awarded funds to improve its marine conservation area program and develop local-level management capacity. This included a community-based monitoring and management program and produced culturally appropriate best practice guidelines for community-based conservation in Palau. PSC also conducted an economic valuation of coastal resources, and produce education and outreach materials for locals.
Develop Sound Scientific Information
- The University of Guam received funding to carry out a project
in Guam to test the effectiveness of MPA’s and other reef
fish management strategies using agent-based models. This research
evaluated habitat specific patterns in ecological processes
such as settlement, growth, movement, mortality, and reproduction
for humphead wrasse and bumphead parrotfish, two commercially
important species that are vulnerable to overfishing.
- The University of Maine received funding to carry out a project
in USVI that will quantified the distribution and abundance
of coral and algae inside and outside no-take areas by evaluating
the linkages between herbivory and coral recruitment on coralline
algae. The role of coralline algae in coral recruitment was
evaluated by deploying settlement plates to analyze colonization
of coralline algae and relationships with coral spatial recruits.
- The Ocean Research and Education Foundation received funding
for a project determined the condition of Florida’s coral
reefs using the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment protocol
and compared the conditions of Florida's fish, coral, and algal
communities with those found on the reefs in the Greater Caribbean
and Gulf of Mexico .
- The World Wildlife Fund was awarded funding for a project in American Samoa that examined the importance of protective compounds in corals in preventing coral bleaching and relationships between concentrations of these compounds and concentrations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the water column. DOM concentrations are thought to be affected by the condition of the surrounding watershed and maybe a useful indicator to determine resilience of coral reefs and to help guide future placement of MPA’s.
Increase Public Awareness
- The Nature Conservancy was awarded funding to carry out a
project in Hawaii to conserve coral reef ecosystems along the
Kona coast through support community-based conservation approaches
to build awareness and capacity to effectively engage in multi-stakeholder
coral reef management efforts.
- The National Wildlife Federation received
funding for a national project to develop a set of targeted,
interactive educational materials. These materials highlighted
how coral reef ecosystems work, importance of reefs, current
threats, impacts of climate change, and what people can do to
help protect coral reefs from localized threats and climate
change.
