FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 30, 2006

Contacts: Ben Sherman, NOAA, (301) 713-3066

John Butler, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, (202) 857- 0166

NOAA AND NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION AWARD $3 MILLION FOR CORAL REEF CONSERVATION GRANTS

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program announced today the funding of 26 grants totaling more than $3 million through the jointly managed Coral Reef Conservation Fund. The grants will go to conservation organizations and local governments in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea to help prevent further negative impacts to reefs by educating local communities and improving management effectiveness.

Coral Fund projects build public-private partnerships, increase community awareness and provide solutions to localized threats to coral reefs and associated habitats. Special emphasis is placed on projects demonstrating a hands-on, measurable approach to reducing land-based pollution, improving the management of coral reef protected areas or installing mooring buoys to protect reefs from anchor damage.

The 26 grants were awarded to projects in 11 countries, three U.S. territories, and five U.S. freely associated states. The awards include $1.1 million in federal funds leveraged by an additional $2.1 million in matching contributions for a total of $3.2 million in on-the-ground projects. Funding partners include the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, targeting coral conservation in Hawaii.

"From the U.S. Caribbean to Micronesia, these projects will help local communities protect their valuable coral reefs and the economies that depend on them," said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., Ph.D., under secretary of commerce and NOAA administrator. "NOAA is pleased to continue this partnership with the foundation, federal agencies, and many other partners to advance cooperative conservation of coral reefs in the U.S. and internationally."

"We're pleased to support projects that address coral reef conservation across the globe for a sixth year," said foundation executive director Jeff Trandahl. "These grants are designed to identify and address the greatest threats to these very important and fragile marine habitats. Working at the community level, such as through Hawaii makai watch volunteers, local citizens will be monitoring reefs to reduce degradation along the state’s coastlines."

The Coral Reef Conservation Fund was created to assist NOAA in implementing the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and is managed by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in partnership with the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. To date, the foundation has awarded more than $15 million in federal and non-federal matching funds for 166 coral conservation projects in 35 countries.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will be accepting Coral Reef Conservation Fund proposals for 2007 beginning in November, 2006. Some of the priorities identified for 2007 funding include: increasing the effectiveness of coral reef/marine protected areas; reducing impacts from land-based pollution and sedimentation; reducing impacts from recreational uses, tourism, and boating; and reducing impacts from over-exploitation of coral reef resources. Coral Reef Conservation Fund application directions and forms will be available online at http://www.nfwf.org/programs/coral.cfm.  For more information about the program, e-mail Michelle Pico at pico@nfwf.org.

NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program is a partnership between the NOAA line offices working on coral reef issues, including the NOAA Ocean Service, NOAA Fisheries Service, NOAA Research and the NOAA Satellite and Information Service. The program supports effective management and sound science to preserve, sustain and restore valuable coral reef ecosystems.

Each year, NOAA awards approximately $900 million in grants to members of the academic, scientific, and business communities to assist the agency in fulfilling its mission to study the Earth’s natural systems in order to predict environmental change, manage ocean resources, protect life and property, and provide decision makers with reliable scientific information. NOAA’s goals and programs reflect a commitment to these basic responsibilities of science and service to the nation for the past 35 years.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is a nonprofit organization established by Congress in 1984 and dedicated to the conservation of fish, wildlife and plants, and the habitat on which they depend. The Foundation creates partnerships between the public and private sectors to strategically invest in conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources. The Foundation has provided funding to over 7,200 projects, leveraging $305 million in federal dollars to more than $1 billion in total funding for on-the-ground conservation.

2006 Coral Fund grant recipients:

Pacific Projects:

Enhancing Makai Watch Coral Conservation, Community Conservation Network
Coral Reef Areas near Big Island and Kauai Island, Hawaii
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $50,000; Partner Contributions: $100,000

Talking Trash in Majuro, Marshall Islands Conservation Society
Majuro, Marshall Islands
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $37,102; Partner Contributions: $77,638

Pride Campaign for Coral Conservation in Micronesia, Rare
Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $100,000; Partner Contributions: $200,000

Grouper Spawning and Rearing Assessment, The Nature Conservancy
Manus Islands, Papua New Guinea
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $50,000; Partner Contributions: $62,500

Capacity for Marine Conservation in Micronesia II, Micronesia Conservation Trust
Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Yap, Federated States of Micronesia
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $52,164; Partner Contributions: $89,836

Coral Reef Pollution Reduction in A.S., The Coalition of Reef Lovers – American Samoa
Four Coastal Villages on Tutuila Island, American Samoa
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $34,612; Partner Contributions: $75,468

Evaluating Fish Nursery Habitat for MPAs, San Diego State University Research Foundation
Hawaii Island and Midway Atoll
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $23,891; Partner Contributions: $49,473

Coral Reef Fish Rehabilitation in the Philippines, Reef Check
Tubigon, Bohol, Philippines
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $50,568; Partner Contributions: $105,610

Sustainable Management at Helen Reef, Community Conservation Network
Helen Reef Atoll, Palau, Micronesia
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $22,500; Partner Contributions: $22,680

 

Caribbean/ Mesoamerican Projects:

Linking Herbivory to Reef Resilience, University of Maine
Glover's Reef Research Station, Belize; Bonaire, Netherland Antilles Bonaire National Marine Park
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 49,891; Partner Contributions: $ 98,315

Mesoamerican Reef Cruise Tourism Impact Reduction, Conservation International Foundation
Isla Cozumel, Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 50,000; Partner Contributions: $ 83,628

Love the Lagoon: Good Mate/Clean Marinas in Simpson Lagoon, Environmental Protection in the Caribbean
Simpson Lagoon, St. Martin
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 21,000; Partner Contributions: $ 47,800

Multi-stakeholder Management Plan for Sosua Marine Park, Counterpart International, Inc.
Sosua National Marine Park, Dominican Republic
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 34,695; Partner Contributions: $ 41,345

Exuma Land and Sea Park Mooring Project, Bahamas, Bahamas National Trust
Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Exuma, Bahamas
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 50,000; Partner Contributions: $ 130,000

Coral Reef Sustainable Destination Program-Cozumel, Coral Reef Alliance
Cozumel Island, Mexico, including the Cozumel National Marine Park
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 37,291; Partner Contributions: $ 39,293

Coral Reef and Seagrass Conservation in Guatemala's MPA, Fundacion Mario Dary Rivera
Marine Protected Area Punta de Manabique, Amatique Bay and Gulf of Honduras, Guatamala
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 48,897; Partner Contributions: $ 61,900

Establishment of a Marine Protected Area on Andros Island, The Nature Conservancy
Andros Island, Bahamas
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 46,830; Partner Contributions: $ 88,400

Coral Reef Education and Sustainable Tourism Development, Caribbean Student Environmental Alliance
Banda Abou district on the west end of Curacao
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 47,800; Partner Contributions: $ 76,750

Ensuring the Effective Management of East End Marine Park, The Ocean Conservancy
East End Marine Park, St. Croix
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 49,992; Partner Contributions: $ 143,272

Coral Reef Nursery and Reef Restoration, Miami FL, University of Miami
Biscayne National Park, Miami-Dade County, Florida
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 28,120; Partner Contributions: $ 28,211

Pedro Bank Coral Reef, Wildlife & Fisheries Management, The Nature Conservancy
Pedro Cays, Jamaica
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 55,000; Partner Contributions: $ 128,392

Information Sharing on Mesoamerican Coral Reefs, Rainforest Alliance, Inc.
Mesoamerica
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 30,000; Partner Contributions: $ 30,000

Erosion Control Strategies for the Fish Bay Waters, Island Resources Foundation
Fish Bay Watershed on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands; the watershed is adjacent to the Virgin Islands National Park
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 41,233; Partner Contributions: $ 49,532

Saba National Marine Park: Protection of Coral Reefs, Saba Conservation Foundation
Saba, Netherlands Antilles
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 33,000; Partner Contributions: $ 85,000

Socio-economic Training and Monitoring in the MAR, World Wildlife Fund
Marine Protected Areas as a part of the Mesoamerican Reef in Honduras, MNM Archipielago Cayos Cochinos and RVS Cuero y Salado; in Guatemala, RVS Punta de Manabique
Coral Reef Conservation Fund Grant: $ 23,115; Partner Contributions:$ 23,115

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On the Web:

Coral Reef Conservation Fund - http://www.nfwf.org/programs/coral.cfm

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation – http://www.nfwf.org

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program – http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov

NOAA – http://www.noaa.gov