Hope and help is here for are coral reefs!
The coral reefs all around the world are being threatened right now and many off the coast of the United States are in really poor condition. This is important for our oceans but also for our economy, with coral reef’s generating an estimated $375 billion around the world through diving and attractions. People are starting to become more aware of this problem and we need to put a stop to the three main practices that contribute to the destruction of our coral:
- Overfishing
- Climate Change
- Pollution
Although these are huge problems, there is hope and we enter this week with the approval of the Coral Reef Conservation Program. This program is begin funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and all funds are being matched by The Nature Conservancy. The NOAA has pledged $3.6 million which means $7.2 million with the matched funds from The Nature Conservancy over the next four years of the program.
$7.2 million!! This is great news and the NOAA has highlighted a few major issue that the 36 programs will aim to tackle:
- Developing place-based management strategies and plans;
- developing resilient marine protected area (MPA) networks;
- measuring the effectiveness of reef management efforts;
- developing sustainable finance plans; and
- building capacity among reef managers at the global scale.
This is movement in the right direction and we have to continue to help support organizations like NOAA and The Nature Conservancy!
Loading ...