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CORAL DISEASE & HEALTH CONSORTIUM; PARTNERS FOR PRESERVATION
Citation:
Santavy, D L., C. M. Woodley, AND W. H. Walker. CORAL DISEASE & HEALTH CONSORTIUM; PARTNERS FOR PRESERVATION. Presented at Coastal Monitoring through Partnerships, Pensacola Beach, FL, April 24-27, 2001.
Description:
Presented at EMAP Symposium 2001: Coastal Monitoring Through Partnerships, 24-27 April 2001, Pensacola Beach, FL.
The Coral Disease and Health Consortium (CDHC) was one recommendation to the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (CRTF), to conserve the coral reef ecosystems of the U.S. and its territories by preserving and protecting their biodiversity, health, heritage, and socioeconomic values (Executive Order #13089, Coral Reef Protection June 1998). The CRTF developed a National Action Plan for Coral Reef Conservation employing the CDHC as one of its action items. An interagency effort by NOAA, EPA, and DOI proposed the CDHC to organize and coordinate the scientific resources of the US and territories in order to document the condition of the ecosystem, determine causes of declines in the health, and provide technical assistance to managers regarding coral reef health. These objectives will be achieved by integrating three functional disciplines: Clinical Pathology, Health Assessment, and Risk Assessment and Management. Development of the CDHC framework already has fostered national and international partnerships in coral disease research, education, and outreach activities. Examples of products include: coral disease ID cards (NOAA); a global coral disease database (NOAA partnering with World Conservation Monitoring Center); video production highlighting coral bleaching and disease research (NOAA, EPA), and research determining the prevalence of coral disease in the Florida Keys (EPA, NOAA, and academia). The CDHC aims to significantly enhance: assessments of coral ecosystem health; improve the effectiveness of management decisions by providing early warning of disease and disease outbreaks; identify causative factors and prevention and mitigation strategies; and offer viable risk management options. NOAA, EPA, and DOI will partner with non-governmental organizations, private industry, and academia to achieve these goals.