WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced $944,000 in grants to address declines in coral reef health. The 13 grants will generate $987,000 in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $1,931,000.
The grants were awarded through the Coral Reef Conservation Fund, a partnership between NFWF and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP).
This year’s awards will improve watershed planning and management on select priority reefs in Puerto Rico as the territory continues to battle sedimentation runoff, exacerbated in some cases by the loss of land cover from recent hurricanes. In the Pacific, awards will support projects to increase reef fish species that play a critical role in coral reef resilience on reefs in Hawaii and American Samoa. Awards also were made to two Florida-based projects under a new priority for the program focusing on restoration science and innovation. In the international portfolio, priorities focus on implementing regional coral reef marine protected area initiatives in the Caribbean, Central America and the Philippines.
“The projects awarded today will reduce land-based runoff and overfishing, making coral reefs more resilient to a range of stressors,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “We are proud to continue our partnership with NOAA to generate measureable outcomes for coral reefs.”
The projects supported by the grants announced today will address four key strategies in coral reef conservation: 1) Targeted Watershed Planning and Run-off Abatement; 2) Increasing Herbivorous Fish Biomass; 3) Increasing Capacity for Management; and 4) Research to Support Restoration and Resilience of Coral Reef Systems.
“NOAA is excited about the work that will be completed with these projects,” said Jennifer Koss, director of the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. “Every year the quality of proposals increases, and while that makes funding decisions harder, NFWF and NOAA are able to build upon previous work and make a real difference in conserving corals.”
Since 2000, the Coral Reef Conservation Fund has awarded more than $20 million in federal and non-federal funds and leveraged more than $25 million in matching funds for more than 400 coral conservation projects in 21 U.S. states and territories and 52 countries.
A complete list of the 2018 grants made through the Coral Reef Conservation Fund is available here.
About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Chartered by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) protects and restores the nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal, corporate and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 4,500 organizations and committed more than $4.8 billion to conservation projects. Learn more at www.nfwf.org.
About the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Learn more at www.noaa.gov.
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