Habitat restoration and conservation are essential to the future health and sustainability of our nation's coastal resources and fisheries. The NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center restores coastal and marine habitats that support the nation's fisheries and other trust resources. We provide restoration expertise and comprehensive restoration planning and implementation for coastal and marine habitats facing chronic problems like subsidence, erosion and disruption of natural processes.

The photos in this collection tell a story.... of progress and commitment. They provide snapshots of the work we do to advance the science of habitat restoration by expanding local habitat restoration techniques into broad-scale, ecosystem restoration approaches in all coastal, estuarine and anadromous fish habitats within the United States and its territories.

Several programs help us accomplish our restoration goals: the Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (DARP); the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA); the Community-Based Restoration Program (CRP) and the Restoration Research Program. The restoration work completed under these programs is making a difference, as you will see.

We hope you enjoy the Restoration Center photo collection and return to them often. For more information checkout the NOAA Restoration Center Web site at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/.

The images in this collection are arranged by program. The case or project images can be found under the program where they are implemented. Please use the program catalogues to direct you to specific case or project images.

Damage Assessment Restoration Program (DARP)

The Damage Assessment and Restoration program brings together restoration scientists and managers and a legal team to ensure that natural resource losses are compensated for and that injured marine resources are restored after oil spills, toxic releases or ship groundings.

Community-Based Restoration Program (CRP)



The NOAA Community-Based Restoration Program is simple: strong partnerships are developed to accomplish meaningful, grassroots, habitat restoration activities that simultaneously promote an abiding conservation ethic and the wise stewardship of living marine resources.

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)

Each year in Louisiana, tens of thousands of acres of wetlands are lost through subsidence, erosion and die-offs. When CWPPRA was signed into law, legislators acknowledged the tremendous challenges facing the State of Louisiana because of coastal erosion and wetlands loss. The RC is one of several federal and state agencies that administer funds and provide expertise for broadscale ecosystem-wide restoration projects to stem habitat losses.

Regional Restoration

Regional restoration planning complements other tools like conservation, habitat enhancement and protection and, taken together, provide a comprehensive solution that will allow us to tackle watershed-wide habitat problems. The Restoration Center endorses and is active in regional and watershed restoration planning and implementation. As the Restoration Center expands its programs and its role in regional and ecosystem restoration, its goal is to be in a position to conduct broad-scale ecosystem restoration planning and implementation with its national, regional and local partners in all important coastal, estuarine and anadromous fish habitats throughout the United States and its territories.

Restoration Research Program (RR)

Under the research program, NOAA scientists work to promote successful, cost efficient restoration technologies and to understand how coastal and marine habitats recover after restoration and what requirements must be met to ensure successful restoration. Research is conducted on all types of coastal, estuarine and marine habitats, such as salt marshes, coral reefs, and seagrass beds.

Miscellaneous

The miscellaneous catalogues contain images that may not fall neatly into a restoration program catalogue. Here you will find images of the plants and animals that we work to protect and restore along with many other images that help to complete the whole restoration story.