NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program: About the Program

Elkhorn corals exhibit among the fastest growth of all known western Atlantic corals. Branches can increase in length by 10 cm a year. Photo Credit: NOAA/NURP.

From mapping and monitoring to managing reef resources and removing harmful debris, the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) addresses the priorities laid out in both the National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs and the National Coral Reef Action Strategy. The CRCP supports effective management and sound science to preserve, sustain and restore valuable coral reef ecosystems to help fulfill NOAA’s requirements under a number of mandates, including the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (CRCA) (pdf, 36kb).

The CRCP is a partnership between the NOAA Line Offices working on coral reef issues, including the National Ocean Service (NOS), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) and the National Environmental Satellites, Data and Information Service (NESDIS). Links to NOAA offices that are part of the CRCP can be found in the CoRIS library.

The CRCP brings together expertise from NOAA's Line Offices for a multidisciplinary approach to managing and understanding coral reef ecosystems. The CRCP facilitates and supports partnerships with scientific, private, government and nongovernmental groups at local, state, federal and international levels. In February of 2005, the CRCP sponsored a Roundtable Session: Coral Reef Conservation Partnerships, providing an opportunity for its partners and stakeholders to share ideas for improving NOAA's coral reef conservation efforts, including any additional actions the Program should take to more effectively implement cooperative conservation initiatives. The CRCP is currently undergoing an external program review.

The CRCP also serves as the Secretariat for the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (Task Force). NOAA and the Department of the Interior serve as co-chairs of the Task Force, which was established in June 1998 by Executive Order #13089. Through the coordinated efforts of its members, the Task Force has helped build and lead U.S. efforts to protect, restore and sustainably use the nation’s valuable coral reef ecosystems.

The CRCP is in the midst of re-prioritizing its activities. Visit the External Review, Roadmap for the Future, and Threat-based Working Groups pages for more information.

For more detailed information on the specific activities of the CRCP, read the FY 2007 Accomplishments and visit the NOAA Coral Reef Information System (CoRIS) page on NOAA's Coral Reef Activities.

To see a detailed list of NOAA projects funded by the Coral Reef Conservation Program in FY2007, click here.

Contact Information

If you have a question about NOAA's coral reef activities, please send us an e-mail. You can also fax your question to: 301-713-4389, or mail it to:

Attn: Outreach and Education
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, N/OCRM
1305 East West Highway, 10th Floor
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3281

To arrange media interviews, contact:

Ben Sherman, NOAA's National Ocean Service
e-mail: Ben Sherman
telephone: 301-713-3066 x178

About the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program

Contact Information