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NOAA Earth Day 2010

Threatened Coral Reef Recovery and Restoration—Florida Keys

With the support of local partners, NOAA was able to hire people quickly using Recovery Act funding to do the critical work of collecting, rearing, and ultimately transplanting genetically diverse nursery-grown coral fragments to help replenish 34 degraded reefs in eight distinct areas of coral reefs here in the Florida Keys and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The total restoration area covers 34,000 square meters—that’s roughly 136 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Restoring coral reefs is even more important since so many are severely threatened by climate change, the impacts of fishing activities, and land-based sources of pollution. Over time, restoration of these coral reefs will help recover the threatened Acropora coral species and lead to increased fish populations that use the reefs for shelter, food, and breeding sites. In addition, coral reefs also act as natural breakwaters, protecting shorelines from erosion and storm damage.

The Importance of Coral Reef Restoration

Coral reefs are incredibly rich with life. Although they only cover about one-tenth of one percent of the ocean floor, they provide habitat for more than 25 percent of marine species. This astounding biodiversity rivals that of the rainforests.

Not only do reefs play a critical role as habitat, they are also an integral part of southeast Florida’s economy. Reef-related expenditures generate nearly $4 billion dollars in sales in the southeast Florida region annually. Nationwide, NOAA Fisheries Service estimates the annual commercial and recreational value of U.S. fisheries from coral reefs to be more than $200 million.

From the Event

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  Dr. Lubchenco with Ken Nedimyer from the Coral Restoration Foundation viewing staghorn coral restoration efforts.

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  The entire group of attendees, including NOAA, The Nature Conservancy, and National Marine Sanctuaries and other partners, coral experts and staff.

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  Dr. Lubchenco and workers, view the transplanting efforts of staghorn coral. The corals in these photos are fragile and handled only by professionals.

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  Dr. Lubchenco hangs on to a rock outcrop while inspecting the reattachment and restoration site of a staghorn coral reef while NOAA restoration specialist Tom Moore looks on.