NOAA - Ecosystem Goal Team - To protect, restore and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources through an ecosystem approach to management

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Habitat

Program Mission

NOAA's Habitat Program (HAB) protects, restores and promotes stewardship of coastal and marine habitats that are essential to the nation's marine life. These habitats are the foundation for healthy ecosystems, productive fisheries, and robust coastal economies. It is the Habitat Program's mission to have healthy and self-sustaining coastal and marine habitats that support vital ecosystem functions, including abundant living marine resources, human uses, and resilient coastal communities.

Ecosystem Approaches to Management

Coastal, marine, and Great Lakes habitats, including rivers and estuaries, are an indispensable part of our nation's natural resources and sustain a significant portion of the U.S. economy. These habitats are components of complex ecosystems beginning at headwaters of streams and extending seaward. Their degradation and loss affect the viability and productivity of invaluable natural resources. The NOAA Habitat Program seeks to protect and restore habitats to support Ecosystem Approaches to Management (EAM). HAB promotes sound stewardship by engaging the public and working with partners - such as state and local government agencies and tribes, as well as non-profit organizations - to leverage additional expertise and funding.

HAB collaborates with other EGT Programs to protect and restore important habitat:
Aquaculture: Promoting environmentally sound aquaculture
Coastal and Marine Resources: Preventing, assessing and removing marine debris, addressing derelict fishing gear, promoting sound energy development
Coral Reef Conservation: Conserving shallow and deep coral
Fisheries Management: Conserving Essential Fish Habitat through fishery management actions
Protected Species: Conserving critical habitat
Ecosystem Observations: Assessing and characterizing habitat
Ecosystem Research: Preventing, eradicating and mitigating invasive species