# Presentation: 763326

## Coral Reef 

**Coral Reef **
**Protected Area**
**Status Report**
**Presentation to the 10****th**** Meeting of **
**U.S. Coral Reef Task Force**
** ****Bill Millhouser**
**NOAA’s National Ocean Service**
**October 6, 2003**

**Notes:**
Review of presentation:
what is the coral reef protected area status report, what it will consist of
Goals of the report
Partners in NOAA feds, S/Ts, helping us to complete the report
Sources of information
Status of our efforts
Preliminary results from state/ territory level protected areas in several of the coral jurisdictions
Next steps

##  Overview:

** ****Overview:**
**Assessment of coral reef and associated habitat protected areas in U.S. waters.**
** ****Focus on 7 USCRTF jurisdictions – local and federal sites.**
** ****Highlight characteristics of individual Marine Managed Areas (MMAs).**
** ****Explore opportunities and potential mechanisms to address management challenges.**

- Coral Reef Protected Area Status Report

**Notes:**
What is the coral reef protected area status report?
The coral reef p.a. status report will result from an effort to assess the level of protection for coral reef areas and associated habitats in U.S. waters that is being provided through the implementation of marine managed areas
Definition of marine managed area – from MPA Center website mpa.gov “any site that performs a role in managing natural or cultural marine resources and provides useful information for future analyses at national, regional, and local levels.” 
“Associated habitat” – such as mangroves, seagrass beds
Presentation today will focus on state/ territorial level sites but complete report will include federal sites as well
Will provide information on state/territory approached to MMA management such as: goals of MMA, movement towards developing networks, regulatory mechanisms...
Will also provide information on specific MMAs such as: management status and constituent involvement 

## Goals:

**Goals:**
** ****To document all U.S. coral reef MMAs and summarize various characteristics of individual MMAs. **
**To identify MMA goals and discuss the challenges to and opportunities for effective MMA implementation.**

- Coral Reef Protected Area Status Report

**Notes:**
Goals of the Coral Reef P.A. Status Report

## Goals:

**Goals:**
** ****To perform a qualitative cross-comparison of different management approaches and MMA characteristics.**
** **
** ****To document the status of MMA efforts relative to the USCRTF goal of strengthening the network of coral reef MMAs.**

- Coral Reef Protected Area Status Report

**Notes:**
Goals of the Coral Reef P.A. Status Report

Performing the cross comparison to potentially elicit  management approaches with influence on MMA effectiveness.

## A Collaborative NOAA Effort:

**A Collaborative NOAA Effort:**
**	****Coral Reef Conservation Program**
**	****MPA Center – National Inventory of ****	****Marine Managed Areas**
**	****National Centers for Coastal ****	****Ocean Science – Spatial analysis**
** ****	****Special Projects Office – Spatial ****	****analysis****	**
**   ****International Program Office - ****	****Effectiveness indicators****	****	**** **

- Coral Reef Protected Area Status Report

**Notes:**
Many partners in NOAA have assisted the coral reef conservation program in providing information for this report:
	- MPA Center – main source of data for this report is the National MMA inventory.
	- NCCOS – in the process of developing benthic habitat maps for USCRTF jurisdictions 	 
	- SPO – collecting GIS information for MMA inventory sites
	- NCCOS and SPO will be performing an analysis of the amount of coral reef coverage in MMAs
	- IPO – has been working in conjunction with WWF and IUCN to develop a set of effectiveness indicators for MMAs. We will be applying
	           some of these indicators to look at effectiveness of coral reef MMA’s. (mention efforts to test indicators in Pacific and hope that we
		 will be supporting similar effectiveness studies in the Caribbean next year.)

## Data Collection – Coral Questions: 

**Data Collection – Coral Questions: **
- Are management plans being implemented?
- Which components of the management plan are not being implemented?
- Are regulations enforced effectively?
- What are the challenges to effective implementation of the protected area?
- What types of education and outreach programs are being implemented for the area?

- Coral Reef Protected Area Status Report

**Notes:**
The coral conservation program is also collecting some additional info. On top of what is being provided from our partners at NOAA through the National MMA Inventory and the Effectiveness indicators work.

**	**

| State/ Territory | MMA inventory complete* | Coral data collected* |
| --- | --- | --- |
| American Samoa |  |  |
| CNMI |  |  |
| Florida |  |  |
| Guam |  |  |
| Hawaii |  |  |
| Puerto Rico |  |  |
| USVI |  |  |

*** Pending final review by jurisdictions**

- Coral Reef Protected Area Status Report

**Notes:**
Here is the current status of this initiative:

ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT HAS BEEN COLLECTED STILL REQUIRES FINAL REVIEW BY STATES, TERRITORIES AND MMA MANAGERS

	- the MMA inventory of state and territorial sites has been completed for 5 jurisdictions and the remaining two are in progress
	- federal agencies responsible for the management of MMAs are currently providing information on federal sites in all of the jurisdictions
	- coral data has been collected in 3 areas and data collection is in progress for the other 4 areas

## Preliminary Results from 40 state/ territory coral reef protected areas* :

**Preliminary Results from 40 state/ territory coral reef protected areas* :**
** ****USVI - 25 areas**
** ****Guam - 6 areas**
** ****American Samoa - 9 areas**

- * Federal data not yet available

- Coral Reef Protected Area Status Report

**Notes:**
Preliminary results from:
3 jurisdisctions for which both MMA inventory and coral reef data have been collected
Only included state/ territory level protected areas as both MMA inventory and coral data collection is incomplete for federal sites
Important caveats – we will be asking the states and territories to review all information colleted before it is finalized in the report, number of MMAs does not represent the total amount of area protected. Some of the coral jurisdictions have a fewer number of areas that are larger in size, while other jurisdictions have a greater number of areas that are smaller in size. 
Presenting 3 categories of preliminary results from these 40 sites: management goals of the MMAs, existence and implementation of management plans and actions, and challenges to effective implementation

Levels of protection
# does not imply area covered

## Preliminary Results-Management Goals:

**Preliminary Results-Management Goals:**
** ****Multi-purpose (recreation, natural resource protection, navigation...) – 45%**
** ****Fisheries Management – 30%**
** ****Natural Resource Protection – 15%**
** ****Coral Specific Protection – 5%**
** ****Reducing Pollution – 2.5%**
** ****Endangered Species – 2.5%**

- Coral Reef Protected Area Status Report

**Notes:**
These are the different management goals of the coral reef ecosystem MMAs in the 3 jurisdictions

**  ****Preliminary Results-Management Plans:**
**Management Plan – 63%**
** ****Implemented – 18%**
** ****Not implemented – 45%**
**No Management Plan – 37%**
** ****Actions implemented – 17%**
** ****No actions implemented – 20%**

- Coral Reef Protected Area Status Report

**Notes:**
Having a management plan does not necessarily imply that the MMA is being implemented. As you can see, the majority of MMAs with management plan are not being implemented. Also, there are some areas which have no management plans for which management actions such as enforcement of fishing restrictions are being implemented.

## Preliminary Results - Challenges to Effective Implementation:

**Preliminary Results - Challenges to Effective Implementation:**
** ****Human Capacity**
** ****Enforcement**
** ****Funding**

- Coral Reef Protected Area Status Report

**Notes:**
These were the top three challenges to effective implementation 

Human capacity – staff, long-term local capacity
Enforcement of established regulations
Funding

## Next Steps:

**Next Steps:**
** **complete MMA inventory and coral data collection for all state and federal sites
-  compare major challenges and identify recommendations for potential solutions
-  perform spatial analysis of coral reef coverage and MMAs
-  complete draft of report with full review by NOAA, states, territories, MMA managers and federal partners
-  publish, present to USCRTF, and distribute in 2004

- Coral Reef Protected Area Status Report

**Notes:**
Next steps
Be careful on completion date– note reliance on others

## For more information:

**For more information:**
**Bill Millhouser  **
**Bill.Millhouser@noaa.gov**
**301-713-3155 x189**
**Dana Wusinich-Mendez**
**Dana.Wusinich-Mendez@noaa.gov**
**301-713-3155 x159**
**http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov**
**http://www.mpa.gov**

- Coral Reef Protected Area Status Report

**Notes:**
For more info on the coral report contact...

Info. On the report and eventually the report intself will be posted on the Coral Conservation Program Website.

For more info. on the MPA Center’s National MMA Inventory go to www.mpa.gov