Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are one of the world’s most valuable ecosystems in terms of ecological, economic and cultural capital. However, recent reports indicate that 58 to 70 percent of coral reefs globally are directly threatened by human-associated activities and increasing global bleaching events. Overfishing, intensive boating and recreational impacts, and land-based sources of pollution in the form of sediments and excess nutrients threaten coral ecosystems and reduce their resilience to environmental stressors.

Key conservation strategies for coral reefs include:

• Prioritizing critical reefs for conservation in light of increasing environmental stressors
• Reducing primary threats such as land-based sources of pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage outfall, and erosion from bare soils, and reducing unsustainable harvesting of functional reef species
• Increasing effective management of coral reefs through applied research, management training and tools, and community engagement

In 2020, NFWF celebrates its 20th Anniversary supporting coral conservation. Since 2000, the program has awarded nearly $22 million. Grants have assisted broad-scale coral reef management by establishing new techniques for assessing and monitoring reef health and new fishery management models. Site-specific initiatives have developed and implemented watershed management plans, reduced sediment erosion through stream bank stabilization, provided incentives or best management practices on agricultural lands, and supported capacity-building of management and conservation organizations to sustain outcomes.

NFWF manages the Coral Reef Conservation Fund in partnership with NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program, with additional support from the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service.