NOAA's Coastal Ocean Program is funding a 5-year Coral Reef Ecosystem (CRES) proposal to better integrate science and management for the protection of US Caribbean coral reef ecosystems.

The integrity of coral reefs is threatened by numerous anthropogenic and natural stresses including sediments, nutrient enrichment, climate change (bleaching), over harvesting, and storms. For instance, coral diseases are emerging as a significant cause of reef degradation in the Caribbean. Compared to other marine ecosystems, coral reefs may be particularly vulnerable to watershed-based stresses related to coastal development because coral reefs are usually best developed "beyond the influence of continental sediments" and flourish as 'closed systems' based on the internal recycling of nutrients. Over harvesting may also be particularly deleterious because the high biodiversity of coral reefs may be highly dependent upon complex biological interactions involving predation, herbivory, and competition. Reefs can also be indirectly affected via stresses to their associated mangrove and seagrasss communities because many keystone reef species use these adjacent habitats for recruitment and nursery areas. In addition to the separate effects of various stressors, synergistic interactions among stressors can further enhance adverse effects. For instance, the resiliency of some reefs to nutrient inputs may be compromised by over harvesting of the grazers that control frondose macroalgae that, in turn, can out compete corals.

In response to the continued decline of coral reef ecosystem health, a 5-year research program funded through NOAA's Coastal Ocean Program (COP) has been developed to define and understand causes and effects of reef degradation, and provide managers information and tools to aid in reversing the degradation of US Caribbean reef ecosystems. This integrated multidisciplinary team, lead by scientists at the University of Puerto Rico, is based on existing collaborations (UPRM-UPRRP, UPRM-NOS-NMFS, USGS-NOS), and builds upon these and existing data extending over several decades and across the region. The overall strategic assessment will address the four major research focus areas defined in the Request for Proposals: 1) Relationships between watershed activities and coral reefs, 2) Causes of ecological stress, 3) Coral reef ecosystem integrity, and 4) Evaluation and linkages of marine protected areas. Our research counts on comparative studies among the sites (St. John, USVI; La Parguera and Culebra, Puerto Rico) to assess processes under different conditions and levels of stress, including multiple comparisons of MPAs with respect to biological and socio-economic processes. Items outlined in statement of work below describe NCCOS's proposed tasks in the overall CRES collaboration effort. Tasks fall under 4 major categories, including: 1) Coupling Species and Habitat, 2) Economic Coupling, 3) Coral disease, and 4) Database management.