The National Biological Information Infrastructure was created to allow vast quantities of biological information housed in various databases from many agencies and departments to be linked together for quick and easy access to information. The coral reef portal integrates data sets, maps, publications, fact sheets, images, and other information from organizations like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The NBII coral reef project makes it easy to find and integrate biological information and current coral research. Use the links to your left to navigate the variety of information available on the World Wide Web about corals and coral reef communities.
NOAA's Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan for Fiscal Years 2007 to 2011
Coral reef ecosystems are highly valued as biological, ecological, cultural, and economic resources. In the past few decades, competing demands on coral reef ecosystems and increasing threats from both natural and anthropogenic stressors have contributed to a significant decline in coral reef health worldwide.
In an effort to provide coastal and ocean managers with the most up-to-date scientific information to address the complex nature of the threats facing coral reef ecosystems, NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program developed the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan to identify priority research needed to help advance management action and guide priority setting for coral reef ecosystem research from FY 2007 to FY 2011.
USGS, 2007. Strategic Science for Coral Ecosystems. U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA, 23 pp.
Shallow and deep coral ecosystems are being imperiled by a combination of stressors. Climate change, unsustainable fishing practices, and disease are transforming coral communities at regional to global scales. At local levels, excessive amounts of sediments, nutrients, and contaminants are also impacting the many benefits that healthy coral ecosystems provide. This Plan, Strategic Science for Coral Ecosystems, describes the information needs of resource managers and summarizes current research being conducted by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists and partners. It outlines important research actions that need to be undertaken over the next five years to achieve more accurate forecasting of future conditions and develop more effective decision-support tools to adaptively manage coral ecosystems. The overarching outcome of this Plan, if fully implemented, would be in transferring relevant knowledge to decision-makers, enabling them to better protect and sustain coral ecosystem services. These services include sources of food, essential habitat for fisheries and protected species, protection of coastlines from wave damage and erosion, recreation, and cultural values for indigenous communities. Learn More (838kb PDF)
*** Press Release ***
Establishment of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
June 15, 2006, President Bush Signed A Proclamation That Will Create The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. This national monument will enable nearly 140,000 square miles of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to receive our Nation's highest form of marine environmental protection. It honors our commitment to be good stewards of America's natural resources, shows what cooperative conservation can accomplish, and creates a new opportunity for ocean education and research for decades to come. Full Story: Whitehouse.gov
Oct. 11, 2006 - Innovative strategies to conserve the world's coral reefs are included in a new guide released today by NOAA, the Australian Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and The World Conservation Union. "
