Grounding Site Restoration and Recovery in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Mulcahy R and Graham B. 2004. Grounding Site Restoration and Recovery in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Ocean News & Technology. :16-19
Coral reefs, recognized as significantly productive habitat, are experiencing severe degradation and the worst may be occurring in the Caribbean where coral cover has declined 80% in some areas. Causes of the degrading injuries are both natural and anthropogenic in origin and are attributable to small localized factors such as ship groundings and relatively large-scale factors such as disease and climatic change. Restoration represents an important step in reducing the cumulative impact of coral reef injuries to preserve this unique habitat and if appropriately conducted, will significantly reduce impact recovery time. The presented case study is an example of a cooperative effort between the responsible party, their representative, and the trustee (U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; NOAA) to successful conduct long term habitat restoration that can provide guidance for future restoration efforts.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Mulcahy, Robert; Graham, Bruce
- Units
- SFCN
- Keywords
- Coral, destruction, Effect, Habitat, Replaicment, Restoration