Coral Protection and Restoration Program

Coral Protection and Restoration Program 

BACKGROUND 

The Coral Protection and Restoration Program (CPR) was established to support the holistic management of Florida’s Coral Reef.

Increasingly, the future of Florida’s Coral Reef is being threatened by disease, pollution, poor water quality, warming ocean temperatures, ocean acidification and many other threats. Many coral reefs globally, including Florida’s, have declined precipitously in the past several decades.

The CPR program is addressing these threats by guiding national coral reef policy through participation in the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, providing leadership for coral reef initiatives in the state and by effectively administering state funding for Florida’s Coral Reef priorities.

Since 2017, the CPR program has administered more than $90 million, including the recurring $20M Biscayne Bay Water Quality Improvement Grant. This funding allows the CPR Program to support universities, agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in priority projects like water quality sampling, nutrient reduction, stony coral tissue loss disease research, intervention, coral rescue, coral propagation and restoration actions. The CPR Program also leads implementation of the Governor’s new Florida's Coral Reef Restoration and Recovery (FCR3) Initiative.  

The FCR3 Initiative aims to develop the infrastructure, technology, skilled workforce and logistics necessary by 2050 to support the long-term recovery of no less than 25% of Florida’s Coral Reef!

VISION

Florida’s Coral Reef (FCR) is holistically protected and restored ensuring resilient coral reef ecosystem functions and services.

Strategic Priority Areas

• Funding Administration: Administer state and federal funding to implement priority reef management and research objectives. Leverage research partner capacity to support reef protection and recovery objectives.
• Holistic Management of Florida’s Coral Reef: Use science-based decision making to guide holistic coral reef ecosystem management and policy. Contribute to the management of FCR as a holistic system. Provide leadership for the Florida’s Coral Reef Resilience Program (FCRRP). Support strengthened governance by synthesizing and communicating research to inform elected officials and decision-makers about the importance of, and threats to, coral reefs. Work with local, state and federal regulatory agencies to improve coordination and compliance on cross-jurisdictional coral reef issues, with a focus on ecosystem restoration and water quality.
• Protect and Restore Florida’s Coral Reef: Support development and implementation of state restoration priorities. Support the FCR3 Initiative and State of Florida Restoration Priorities through planning and data management, coral husbandry capacity and infrastructure, and research of restoration practices to optimize coral reproductive success, genetic diversity and resilience. Support enhancement of water quality through the reduction of chronic, regional stressors from land-based sources of pollution.
• Coordination and Information Sharing: Participate in regular coral reef-related meetings to ensure efficient information sharing, consistent FCR branding, and maintain key stakeholder partnerships. Annually align management, research, and FCR priorities with local, state, and federal partners. Represent Florida at federal and international coral reef meetings. Promote CPR and FCR messaging to partners and the public to ensure accurate and timely messaging of coral reef issues.

Helpful Links 

• Florida's Coral Reef
• DEP Coral Disease Projects - Final Reports 

Funding Opportunities

Annually between April to June, check here for coral-related grant funding opportunities. Please direct any questions or inquiries to FLCoralFunding@FloridaDEP.gov. 

FLORIDA'S CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES

In 2023, Executive Order 23-06, established the Florida’s Coral Reef Restoration and Recovery (FCR3) Initiative to focus the state’s coral management efforts on 3 priorities: resilience, ecosystem restoration and water quality. 

Enhancing Florida's Coral Reef Resilience

Florida’s Coral Reef has seen significant living coral populations decline due to a combination of global, regional and local factors. These include elevated ocean temperatures resulting in more frequent coral bleaching events, coral disease, poor water quality associated with land-based sources of pollution and other natural and human impacts. Most recently, an ongoing coral disease outbreak named stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has spread across the entire reef, affecting more than half of Florida’s 45 species of reef-building corals.   

To put this incredibly valuable natural resource on the road to recovery we must address the stressors that are threatening it, while simultaneously developing and deploying intervention and restoration methods for critical reef species populations and reef conditions. One approach without the other is not enough to save Florida’s Coral Reef. However, with appropriate resourcing and targeted conservation action, we can and will recover this ecosystem.

Restoring Florida's Coral Reef Ecosystem

Florida’s Coral Reef restoration community began outplanting branching corals in the early 2000s to address the significant loss of coral cover that has occurred over the past several decades. To counter the loss of reef-building corals, an ecosystem-wide Restoration Strategy is collaboratively being developed by reef managers and restoration practitioners.    

Funding related to the FCR3 Initiative will help increase coral propagation infrastructure and capacity across Florida’s Coral Reef to support restoring hardy populations of native corals and other keystone species. The FCR3 Initiative will also prioritize the design and location of restoration efforts with a goal of significantly enhancing flood protection and strengthening southeast Florida’s coastal economies. 

Assessing and Addressing Water Quality Impacts to Florida’s Coral Reef

Water Quality is a key factor in ensuring coral reefs thrive in Florida. Corals are the “Goldilocks of the Sea”, meaning they are very particular about their surroundings: they don’t do well in water that is too hot, or water that is too cold. They are sensitive to pollution, including chemicals, gasoline and pharmaceuticals. They require a specific balance of nutrients to flourish. In South Florida, this means that water quality is a top issue for coral reefs and one that DEP is working diligently with partners to address.