Coral reefs around the world are in decline, including those in South Florida.

Group seeks to protect Florida’s fading coral reef

Group to study coral reef conservation

Florida, home to the only barrier reef in the continental U.S., is taking steps to save one of its most valuable resources by getting the community involved in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Coral Reef Conservation Program.

“When people think of coral reefs in Florida, they tend to think only of the Keys,” said Jamie Monty, man- ager of the program. “But our reef extends more than 100 miles to the north, all the way to northern Martin County.”

Monty said coral reefs are in a state of decline around the world, and that Florida’s reef is no exception. “In southeast Florida, we’re seeing the reef suffering from a variety of things,” Monty said.

Some of those things include fishing, diving and other boating activities. Adding to the issue is land-based pollution such as stormwater runoff and sewage and coastal construction. The marine industry and shipping also affect the health of the reef, Monty said. Other factors include “just a lack of awareness on the part of people who use the water for business or pleasure.”

To help spread awareness, the FDEP held a kick-off meeting in January for the “Our Florida Reefs Community Working Groups” at Nova Southeastern University’s Center for Excellence in Coral Reef Research campus.

Monty said the community planning process for Florida’s coral reefs is the largest project to date by the program. The meeting was sponsored by The Nature Conservancy, hosted by Nova and coordinated with part- ners from NOAA’s reef conservation program.

“This is an exciting time for the future of Florida’s coral reefs, as evident by this large effort and the generous donation of time by working group members,” said Drew Bartlett, deputy secretary of Water Policy and Ecosystem Restoration.

Monty said the state has spent the last 10 years in a “data gathering mode,” working with more than 60 partners — including national, state and local agencies, academic institutions, industry and members of the private sector.

“The next step is action,” Monty said. “We’ve ac- tually comprised a four-point plan for the year, which begins with community meetings where people learn about our reefs and share ideas. Then, we’ll form working groups, where local representatives develop recommendations for reef management. The groups will then share those recommendations, and finally, we’ll implement a reef management strategy.”

She said the members are divided into north and south working groups. The north working group will focus on coral reef resources offshore of Palm Beach and Martin counties, while the south working group will focus on those offshore of Broward and Miami-Dade counties north of Biscayne National Park.

That’s great news to Simone Nageon de Lestang, an intern with the Coral Restoration Foundation, a Key Largo-based nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to creating offshore nurseries and restoration programs for threatened coral species.

“Coral reefs are home to 25 percent of all marine species, and ours is the third largest coral barrier reef system in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef and the Belize Barrier Reef,” Nageon de Lestang said. “And we’ve seen as much as a 90 percent decline in two prominent species, Elkhorn and Staghorn corals.”

The Coral Restoration Foundation was started by Florida marine biologist Ken Nedimyer. Over the last decade, Nedimyer and his team have developed new techniques to grow and replace damaged coral, Nageon de Lestang said.

“It’s pretty amazing, and the foundation has had a great success rate. Ken actually pioneered a new design for a coral nursery, and designed a coral tree that grows very fast. We’ve planted more than 10,000 new coral, much of it in the Keys.”

As the largest living structures on the planet, coral reefs are also among the greatest storehouses of biodiversity on Earth, Monty said.

The Nature Conservancy website calls coral reefs one of the most threatened marine systems, with scientists estimating that up to 70 percent could be lost by 2050.

“Florida’s coral reefs are a valuable state resource that need protecting,” said Kevin Claridge, director of the FDEPs Florida coastal office. “Not only for the tourism dollars they bring in or habitat they provide for our fisheries, but also because they are the most bio-diverse habitats in our state.”

Monty said group members will meet monthly over the next year to review the latest science on southeast Florida’s coral reefs and work together to make management recommendations.

“The initial plan was for the meetings to begin in February,” she said. “But it’s been pushed to March.”

Monty said she didn't want to speculate on what proposals could emerge from the meetings.

“That’s what the meetings are for, so I wouldn’t want to guess,” she said. “But I’m confident that this collaboration of stakeholders will come up with some great ideas. Ultimately, we’ll all benefit by preserving our state’s reef.”

 

About the FDEP’s Coral Reef Conservation Program: The Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) coor- dinates research and monitoring, develops management strategies, and promotes partnerships to protect the coral reefs, hard bottom communities, and associated reef re- sources of southeast Florida. For more information, visit the program website www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/programs/coral.