Restoring Seven Iconic Reefs: A Mission to Recover the Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys | NOAA Fisheries 4/29/20,

4/29/20, 1)20 PM

Restoring Seven Iconic Reefs: A Mission to Recover the Coral

Reefs of the Florida Keys
NOAA and partners have developed an unprecedented, decades-long approach to restore seven iconic coral reef sites in Florida Keys
National Marine Sanctuary.

Divers outplant staghorn coral at Carysfort Reef in the Florida Keys. (Photo: Alexander Neufeld/Coral Restoration
Foundation)

Over the last 40 years, coral reefs in the Florida Keys have suffered dramatic declines. Nearly 90
percent of the live corals that once dominated the reefs have been lost. Emergency action is required
to change the trajectory of the health of coral reefs in Florida, and to protect the economy that depends
on them. NOAA and partners have developed a first-of-its-kind approach to restore corals at seven
ecologically and culturally significant reef sites in the Florida Keys.

Recent News: In February 2020, the United Arab Emirates announced a $3.5 million gift to The United
Way of Collier and the Keys in Florida to support the coral restoration efforts of Mission: Iconic Reefs.
The donation is part of a larger $10 million pledge to the state of Florida for Hurricane Irma relief and
recovery efforts. The United Way will oversee the grant as part of its continuing Hurricane Irma
recovery programming and assistance.

Need for Action

There is no single cause for the decline of Florida Keys coral reefs. Locally, impacts to the reefs come
from misplaced boat anchors, ship groundings, pollution, overfishing, storms, and disease. Globally,
warming ocean temperatures can cause bleaching, compromising coral health.

Losing coral reefs could result in cascading effects to the Florida Keys region’s economy and culture,
which are firmly rooted in the local marine ecosystem. This unique habitat generates billions of dollars

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in recreation and tourism for the state of Florida. Healthy coral reefs provide habitat for recreationally
and commercially important fish and a myriad of other animals, including spiny lobster and sea turtles.

In response to the decline in coral reef health, the Florida Keys region has become a world leader in
coral reef restoration. Although local efforts have had success at small scales, restoration has not been
able to keep up with the rate of decline.

Our Restoration Approach

Quick and decisive action is required to stop the decline of coral reefs in the Florida Keys, and to
protect the economy that depends on them. In order to restore these coral reefs to benefit generations
to come, restoration efforts must be scaled up with a focus at the ecosystem level.

Using the best available restoration science,

we will restore diverse, reef-building corals at
seven reef sites within Florida Keys National
Marine Sanctuary:

Carysfort Reef. (PDF, 2 pgs)

Horseshoe Reef. (PDF, 2 pgs)
Cheeca Rocks. (PDF, 2 pgs)
Newfound Harbor. (PDF, 2 pgs)
Eastern Dry Rocks. (PDF, 2 pgs)
Sombrero Reef. (PDF, 2 pgs)
Looe Key Reef. (PDF, 2 pgs) The seven iconic reef sites within Florida Keys National
Marine Sanctuary.
These sites represent the iconic diversity and
productivity of Florida Keys coral reefs. They span the geographic extent of the region, a variety of
habitats, and a range of human uses. They also have a history of restoration success, or have
characteristics that indicate restoration is likely to succeed.

Our approach builds off of other regional management efforts to put Florida Keys reefs on the path to
recovery. It is informed by years of research, successful trials, and expertise from more than two dozen
coral scientists and restoration practitioners. For the first time, NOAA will proactively intervene with
natural conditions by removing nuisance and invasive species and introducing disease-resistant and
climate-resilient corals.

Restoration is set to begin immediately, using a phased approach:

Site preparation: Remove nuisance and invasive species, like algae, that compete with corals for
space and prevent coral larvae from settling and growing.
Phase 1: Use rapidly-growing coral species to restore the reefs to an average of 15 percent coral

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cover across the seven sites. Coral cover

is a measure of how much of the reef
surface is covered by live coral rather than
sponges, algae, or other organisms. In
general, 25 percent coral cover is
considered necessary to support a healthy
ecosystem and protect reef structure.
Phase 1A: Restore elkhorn coral, a
fast-growing species that has not been
susceptible to stony coral tissue loss
disease. Creating this habitat will
increase populations of other species
living on the reef and support future
phases of planting.
Phase 1B: Improve diversity of the reef
by restoring star, brain, pillar, and
staghorn corals. Reefs will also be
supplemented with species that eat
algae that can overgrow coral reefs,
such as long-spined sea urchins and Mission: Iconic Reefs will use a phased approach, working
Caribbean king crab. toward a goal of 25 percent average coral cover by the
end of Phase 2.
Phase 2: Continue planting elkhorn, star,
brain, pillar, and staghorn corals, in addition
to the other small, slower-growing stony corals such as finger and blade coral. This will add
diversity to the reefs. By the end of this phase, coral cover will be restored to an average of 25
percent across the seven sites.
During all phases: We will conduct routine monitoring and nurturing of each site. This will include
removing marine debris, coral predators, and species that might compete for space. We will also
reattach any corals that may have been damaged or disconnected.

Corals grown for outplanting in the Florida Keys. (Photo: The Florida Aquarium)

Partners Working Together

The effort to put Florida Keys coral reefs on track for recovery is an enormous undertaking, requiring
long-term collaboration between many partners. A cross-NOAA team is engaging world-renowned

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scientists, local restoration partners, and other federal and state agencies. We are identifying ways to
work together and save these important, iconic resources.

Together, we can make a difference in reversing decades of decline in these critical ecosystems. NOAA
isn’t in this alone. Our expanding network of world-renowned scientists, federal and state agencies,
local restoration partners, and community stakeholders will promote a collaborative effort, so that
everyone can make a meaningful contribution to Mission: Iconic Reefs. See more information on
partner roles.

Across NOAA, offices involved in this effort include:

! Office of Habitat Conservation.

! Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
! Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
! National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.
! Coral Reef Conservation Program.
! Southeast Regional Office - NOAA Fisheries.

Outside of NOAA, our partners include:

! Coral Restoration Foundation.

! The Florida Aquarium.
! Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
! Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
! Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium.
! National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
! The Nature Conservancy.
! Reef Renewal.
! University of Florida.

Related Information
! Restoring Coral Reefs
! Shallow Coral Reef Habitat
! Restore Viable Coral Populations - Coral Reef Conservation Program
! Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
! A Blueprint for the Future: Restoring Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Last updated by Office of Habitat Conservation on March 03, 2020

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