In the 2012 President's Budget Request, the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) is terminated. As a result, all resources, databases, tools, and applications within this web site will be removed on January 15, 2012. For more information, please refer to the NBII Program Termination page.
2008 was the INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE REEF! This worldwide campaign aimed to raise awareness about the value and importance of coral reefs and threats to their sustainability. Visit their website to download educational materials and learn about the status of this fragile resource.
This program is part of the International Coral Reef Initiative, which is a partnership among governments and international organizations to prevent further degradation to the world's coral reefs.
Coral Reefs
[Image: NOAA]
Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor, yet they support roughly twenty-five percent of all marine life, including over 4,000 species of fish alone. Reefs provide spawning, nursery, refuge and feeding areas for a large variety of organisms,ranging from cnidarians to sea turtles. Reef structures also play an important role as natural breakwaters, which minimize wave impacts from storms such as cyclones, hurricanes or typhoons.
NBII's coral reef project makes it easy to find and integrate biological information and current coral research. 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).
[Image: NOAA]
Marine Protected Areas
Marine Protected Areas are defined areas where natural and/or cultural resources are given greater protection than the surrounding waters. In the U.S., MPAs span a range of habitats including the open ocean, coastal areas, inter-tidal zones, estuaries, and the Great Lakes. They also vary widely in purpose, legal authorities, agencies, management approaches, level of protection, and restrictions on human uses. MPAs have been established around the world, many having beneficial impacts to local fisheries, ecological health, and social well-being. For information on MPAs in the United States, visit the National Marine Protected Areas Center. To read about the social and economic impacts of MPAs, visit The Nature Conservancy, and read about their recent research study, "Nature's Investment Bank."
Reefbase: Global Information System for Coral Reefs
[Image: www.reefbase.org]
ReefBase gathers available knowledge about coral reefs into one information repository. It is intended to facilitate analyses and monitoring of coral reef health and the quality of life of reef-dependent people, and to support informed decisions about coral reef use and management.
ReefBase is the official database of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), as well as the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). The ReefBase Project is housed at the WorldFish Center in Penang, Malaysia, with funding through ICRAN from the United Nations Foundation (UNF).
The NBII Program is administered by the Biological Informatics Program of the U.S. Geological Survey
