Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Coral Reefs face constant threats from natural disasters and environmental stressors, according to Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) as the agency announced $2 million in grants. Earmarked to support efforts to improve the health and resilience of coral reefs in Florida, Hawai'i, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the grants will generate $1.85 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $3.85 million.

“Coral reefs play a vital role in marine ecosystems and have tremendous economic and cultural significance, yet they face constant threats from natural disasters and environmental stressors,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF.

“For more than two decades, the Coral Reef Stewardship Fund has championed innovative conservation efforts to strengthen coral reef health and resilience, with a focus on building capacity and engaging communities in large-scale coral restoration, pioneering recovery methods and reducing threats.”

The projects supported by the nine grants announced this week will address NFWF’s three primary priorities for the corals program, including: threat reduction to priority reef sites; coral reef emergency response preparation and restoration; and increased management capacity in coral conservation.

The Coral Reef Stewardship Fund has funded projects that work to reduce land-based pollution inputs to coral reef tracts, increase fish stocks of key species, planning and capacity building for responding to episodic events, and applied research that responds to needs identified by jurisdictional coral reef management, among other initiatives. 

The grants were awarded through the Coral Reef Stewardship Fund (CRSF), a partnership between NFWF, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Aramco. 

For a fifth consecutive year, Aramco Americas has partnered with NFWF to fund grants protecting coral reefs in U.S. and Caribbean waters. Unlike restoring wetlands or forests, coral reef restoration is a relatively new science. These grants support researchers in their efforts to generate ground-breaking science and innovative thinking around coral ecosystem health.  

“From global impacts like bleaching to local impacts like ship groundings, the world’s coral reefs are under siege,” said Jennifer Koss, director of NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program.

“The on-the-ground projects that are funded through the Coral Reef Stewardship Fund focus on local solutions that will ensure corals persist into the future. Training, capacity building, and place-based restoration are critical to local communities that rely on these incredible ecosystems for food and their livelihoods.”

This year’s grant slate encompasses projects that address a variety of the aforementioned priorities. A project taking place in Maui, Hawai'i, will provide the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute with funding to increase their capacity to respond to vessel groundings on coral reefs.

In 2023 alone, 15 separate boat groundings occurred along Maui’s shoreline, damaging coral reefs. The grantee organization will establish the framework for a rapid response network to mitigate the damage caused by vessel groundings on nearshore reefs, establish a vessel grounding hotline, and enhance staff training in terms of response and assessment when a vessel grounding occurs. 

“Coral reefs are one the world’s most diverse and valuable ecosystems, but threats from climate change and nutrient and sediment runoff can severely impact their structures,” said NRCS Chief Terry Cosby.

“Reefs provide habitat to an abundance of aquatic species, food and jobs for coastal communities, buffer to coastlines from storms and erosion, and opportunities for recreation.

“The importance of sustainable conservation solutions, including voluntary agricultural conservation, is more critical than ever to improve the health and resilience of coral reef ecosystems.”

Since 2000, the Coral Reef Stewardship Fund (formerly titled the Coral Reef Conservation Fund) has made 425 awards to coral conservation projects with over $25 million in funding. These projects have leveraged more than $33 million in matching funds for a total conservation impact of $58 million.

(Source: NFWF)