Stressed Reefs May Get Relief.

Coral reefs, already one of the most delicate marine systems, are threatened by a host of pressures, including sea temperature increases, pollution, development, fishing, and tourism. Last March, the U.S. government unveiled an ambitious plan that addresses the most serious challenges facing coral reefs. Produced by the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, the new National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs, or NAP, is a collaboration of 11 U.S. agencies, 7 coastal states and territories, and private groups including conservationists and fishing interests.

"This is the first-ever long-term national blueprint to deal with the coral reef crisis," says Roger Griffis, a policy advisor with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who helped draft the NAP. "We need a comprehensive plan because we are at a critical juncture in our efforts to preserve coral reefs."

Under the NAP, 20% of all coral reefs would be set aside as "ecological reserves" where fishing and other extractive activities would be banned. The plan also calls for mapping U.S. coral reefs by 2009 to help decision makers prioritize their efforts; building an integrated national coral reef monitoring system that profiles and tracks the health of U.S. coral systems; and implementing an All-Islands Coral Reef Initiative to address the highest environmental priorities of U.S. state and territorial islands.

Two-thirds of the world's coral reefs may be dying and, if current conditions continue, 70% of them may be gone by 2050, according to statistics released by the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. The report Reefs at Risk: A Map-Based Indicator of Threats to the World's Coral Reefs, issued by the World Resources Institute and several other environmental groups in 1998, concluded that 58% of the world's coral reefs are potentially threatened by human activities ranging from coastal development and destructive fishing practices to marine pollution and overexploitation of resources. Human land-based activities such as forestry, farming, and urban development produce pollution and sediment runoff that kill the reefs.

"Persuasive evidence shows that coral reef systems worldwide are subject to a host of natural and human-caused stresses and that these factors contributing to coral reef decline will continue unless we move to action," says Joanne Delaney, a research interpreter for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which works to preserve and protect the Florida Keys' coral reefs.

Coral reefs provide food, jobs, storm protection, and other environmental services and environmental health protection for millions of people. About half a billion people live within 70 miles of a coral reef. "Coral reefs are more than coral; they are a myriad of interacting and interdependent organisms whose health is threatened by poor water quality and overfishing, and whose destruction threatens broader environmental and human health," says Jack Sobel, a scientist at the Center for Marine Conservation in Washington, D.C.

As human infections become increasingly resistant to existing antibiotics, scientists are studying coral reefs as a possible source for new cures for disease. Already, over 6,000 unique chemical compounds have been isolated from marine organisms that live in and around the coral. According to one estimate, about half of new cancer research focuses on marine organisms, and chemicals found within several reef-associated species--for example, dolastatin 10 and didemnin B--look promising as sources for new treatments for a variety of cancers. Coral is also being used for bone grafts, thanks to its great strength. "We are just beginning to understand the compounds and chemicals present in coral reef species and how these might benefit human health," says Delaney, who compares coral reefs to rainforests in their biological diversity.

The environmental community generally welcomes the NAP as a bold and much-needed initiative. "One of the plan's strengths is that it takes an ecosystem approach to the coral reef issue," Delaney explains. "This is an important step toward better ocean governance, where the many jurisdictions involved focus on resolving issues and achieving common goals in coral reef environments."

But the big question is whether the money will be available to fund the NAP. As of August 2000, Congress was debating whether to provide funds in next year's budget for coral reef management. "The administration appears committed to the NAP, but if Congress withholds funding, the health of coral reefs may teeter in the balance. Even the best intentions will not save reefs by themselves," Sobel says. "Providing adequate funding would greatly strengthen the NAP and provide a chance for it to reach its laudable goals."