Coral reef ecosystems are highly valued as biological, ecological, cultural, and economic resources.  In the past few decades, competing demands on coral reef ecosystems and increasing threats from both natural and anthropogenic stressors have contributed to a significant decline in coral reef health worldwide.   

In an effort to provide coastal and ocean managers with the most up-to-date scientific information to address the complex nature of the threats facing coral reef ecosystems, NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program developed the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan to identify priority research needed to help advance management action and guide priority setting for coral reef ecosystem research from FY 2007 to FY 2011.

The NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan is NOAA’s first agency-wide coral reef ecosystem research plan.  Covering all coral reef ecosystems under the jurisdiction of the U.S. and Pacific Freely Associated States, the plan provides a national perspective on the research needed to address the range of stresses affecting the health of coral reef ecosystems, summarizes the management and other issues that will drive research at the regional level, and focuses on the use of research to guide effective implementation of ecosystem-based management strategies.

The NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan  (full report, pdf 6.4 MB):

Part I. National Research Priorities (full section, pdf 3.6MB)

Part II. Regional Research Priorities  (full section, pdf 2.7MB)

Note: To download the region-specific priorities only, clicking on the region name. To download a stand alone version of the regional priorities (region-specifc priorities + the jurisdiction-wide priorities), click on +jurisdiction-wide.

Part II. Regional Research Priorities  (full section, pdf 2.7MB)

A. Jurisdiction-Wide Research Priorities  (full subsection, pdf 72kB)

B. Jurisdiction-Specific Research Priorities:Atlantic Ocean   (full subsection, pdf 835kB)

Florida  (pdf, 173kB) (+Jurisdiction-wide, pdf 209kB)

Florida Keys
Southeast U.S.
Eastern Gulf of Mexico (West Florida Shelf)

Flower Garden Banks  (pdf, 122kB) (+Jurisdiction-wide, pdf 164kB)

Puerto Rico  (pdf, 116kB) (+Jurisdiction-wide, pdf 153kB)

U.S. Virgin Islands  (pdf, 252kB) (+Jurisdiction-wide, pdf 289kB)

Navassa Island (pdf, 115kB) (+Jurisdiction-wide, pdf 152kB)

C. Jurisdiction-Specific Research Priorities: Pacific Ocean  (full subsection, pdf 1.6MB)

The Hawaiian Islands  (pdf, 450kB) (+Jurisdiction-wide, pdf 487kB)

Main Hawaiian Islands
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands  (pdf, 245kB) (+Jurisdiction-wide, pdf 282kB)

Guam (pdf, 142kB) (+Jurisdiction-wide, pdf 179kB)

American Samoa (pdf, 165kB) (+Jurisdiction-wide, pdf 202kB)

U.S. Pacific Remote Insular Areas  (pdf, 182kB) (+Jurisdiction-wide, pdf 219kB)

Pacific Freely Associated States  (pdf, 364kB) (+Jurisdiction-wide, pdf 401kB)

Republic of the Marshall Islands
Federated States of Micronesia
Republic of Palau

References, Glossary, and Appendices   (pdf, 98kB)

Citation:

Puglise, K.A. and R. Kelty (eds.).  2007.  NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan for Fiscal Years 2007 to 2011.  Silver Spring, MD: NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program.  NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 1.  128 pp.

For hard copies and more information contact:

coral.researchplan@noaa.gov