Interior Department Contributes $200,000 to Support
Local Efforts to Protect and Restore Coral Reefs

(COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS) -- In response to the growing threats to coral reefs and the island economies that depend on them, the Interior Department is contributing $200,000 to assist states and territories with local projects to protect reefs and the species that depend on them, Assistant Secretary of Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Craig Manson announced at the 10th meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force.

"Coral reefs are among the world's most imperiled ecosystems - they are the next rain forests in terms of threats from human development," said Manson, the co-chair of the task force. "Secretary Gale Norton is eager to join in partnership with state and territorial governments to address these threats. This initial $200,000 will be seed money to get many projects off the ground. The time has come to take action, and we are taking it."

The task force began a four-day meeting Oct. 3 hosted by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. The meeting is focusing on implementing locally developed action plans in support of the National Coral Reef Action Strategy produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in conjunction with the Task Force.

On Friday, the task force heard from the Pacific territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands about their strategies to combat threats to coral reefs.
Coral reefs face a growing array of threats, including over-exploitation, habitat loss, pollution, invasive species, diseases and climate change. The rapid decline and loss of reefs has significant social, economic, and environmental consequences in the United States and its territories as well as around the world.

The task force is focusing on lessening human impacts on these ecosystems, restoring reefs, and educating the public on the threats to reefs. It will also address international trade in coral reef species.

The $200,000 is being provided by the Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Manson said.
"For the first time we are moving from the planning stage to actually
taking action," Manson said. "We are moving from paper to reality."