First-Ever Coral Recovery Plan Gets Buy-In

The Takeaway: Hawai‘i and the NOAA Coral Program’s cooperative agreement made this possible. Network of no-take zones and fishery management areas represent top two recommendations.

Coral bleaching is causing devastating impacts in the Pacific, but a Coral Bleaching Recovery Plan highlights local actions to help injured reefs bounce back and at-risk corals grow and reproduce.

Incorporating manager interviews worldwide and analyzing 207 peer-reviewed articles, the plan unveiled the two most popular recommendations: establishing a permanent network of “no-take” marine protected areas; and establishing a network of herbivore fishery management areas. Hawai‘i’s Division of Aquatic Resources is exploring which of the recommended actions will work best for the state.

The plan, co-authored by a former NOAA Coral Reef Management Fellow, was made possible by a cooperative agreement between NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program and Hawai‘i’s Division of Aquatic Resources. The University of Hawai‘i and the Nature Conservancy also helped develop the Coral Bleaching Recovery Plan. (2017/Updated 2018)

More Information: Coral Bleaching Recovery Plan

Partners: Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program and Management Fellowship, The Nature Conservancy, University of Hawai‘i