News and Feature Stories

The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science’s Regional Ecosystem Prediction Program on Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies (CRES) has awarded $200K to the University of Hawaii at Manoa Kewalo Marine Laboratory to address the effects of land-based sources of pollution on coral reefs in the Pacific. The money will fund the first year of a five-year, $1 million dollar project to support the transition of previous CRES research to application.

Researchers will help resource managers, policy makers and community leaders develop and implement strategies to prevent or reverse coral reef degradation on the Pacific Island nations of Palau, Pohnpei, Guam and Yap. The award will facilitate information exchange among indigenous fishers, resource managers, researchers and students in an effort to learn from previous work and to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge into management decisions.

To view the NOAA Press Release click here.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100127_coral.html

To view the Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies (CRES) website click here.
http://www.cop.noaa.gov/ecosystems/coralreefs/current/CRES.html

This project is an excellent example of how NCCOS can provide both relevant science and a framework to help communities develop and implement effective strategies to prevent environmental degradation.