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==== [http://reefrelieffounders.com/ Reef Relief Founders (RRF)] ====
==== [http://reefrelieffounders.com/ Reef Relief Founders (RRF)] ====
Formed in 1987 by a group of divers concerned about damage to reefs in the Florida Keys brought about by the rapid expansion of tourism in the region, RRF has garnered awards at the local, state, national and international levels for its extensive cleanup and monitoring programs. A smaller organization, its members provide reports on the ecosystems and management strategies of numerous sites in the Caribbean.
Formed in 1987 by a group of divers concerned about damage to reefs in the Florida Keys brought about by the rapid expansion of tourism in the region, RRF has garnered awards at the local, state, national and international levels for its extensive cleanup and monitoring programs. A smaller organization, its members provide reports on the ecosystems and management strategies of numerous sites in the Caribbean.
==== [http://worldwildlife.org World Wildlife Fund (WWF)] <ref> "WWF." - Endangered Species Conservation. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. </ref> ====
[[File:wwf.jpg|thumb|WWF Symbol]]
===== Mission Statement =====
"We work to conserve the world’s most important natural places and significantly change global forces to protect the future of nature. Our experts are active at every level—from field work to government—conserving the largest tropical rain forests, the most remote areas of our planet, and the world’s most endangered species."
===== Background =====
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization that works on research, conservation and restoration of the environment. It is the world's largest independent conservation program, covering more than 100 countries with 5 million supporters, and supporting 1,300 conservation and environmental projects. It derives 57% of its funding from individuals and bequests, 11% from corporations, and 17% of its funding is from government sources. It was set up on the behalf of endangered animals and was proposed by Victor Stolan, an environmental activist. He and his two partners Julian Huxley and Max Nicholson opened its first office on September 11, 1961.
===== Approaches to conservation =====
Currently, WWF's strategy is restoring species or species groups that are important to people or their ecosystem, as well as reducing ecological footprints when it comes to carbon emissions, grazing land, cropland, water, forestry, and fishing. WWF works in a number of avenues such as law, NGOs, governments, farmers, banks, finance, businesses, and individual consumption choices to achieve its goals. WWF's connection to the government is solely that of a lobbyist and collaborator.
===== Policy making =====
The policies under WWF are made by board members who are elected on three-year terms. The National Council is an advisory group to the board, while the Executive Teams guide and develop WWF's strategies.
===== Important programs and campaigns =====
*Debt-for-Nature Swap - A debt-for-nature swap is an agreement which offers eligible countries the option to support local conservation activities in exchange for paying off debts.
*Earth Hour - Earth Hour is one hour out of the whole year that encourages millions of people across the globe to turn off their lights for an hour as a show of concern for the environment.
*Marine Stewardship Council - "The MSC's fishery certification program and seafood ecolabel recognize and reward sustainable fishing. We are a global organization working with fisheries, seafood companies, scientists, conservation groups and the public to promote the best environmental choice in seafood."


=== Research ===
=== Research ===

Revision as of 14:05, 23 May 2013

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Involved with Coral Reefs

Overview

NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) operate independently of traditional government bodies and programs at the local, domestic and international level to manage, protect and restore coral reefs. Consisting of both volunteers and professional scientists/organizers, they use public and private funding to carry out a variety of programs aimed at augmenting and improving existing governmental and intern-governmental efforts. NGOs that work to conserve reefs focus primarily on Protection (preventing existing reefs from being destroyed), Rehabilitation (restoring reefs that have been damaged directly or indirectly by human activity) and Research (understanding the nature of coral reef ecosystems so that they may be better protected in the future). [1] [2]

Common Features

  • Public awareness: most organizations, e.g. Coral Reef Alliance (CRA) and Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), emphasize public education and awareness as a means of fostering support for conservation
  • Domestic vs. international: While the majority of Coral Reef NGOs are small and limited to a single biome, many pursue their goals across borders
  • Community Involvement: CRA, Reef Check and other organizations with global impact rely heavily on volunteer subgroups operating near individual reefs

Funding

NGOs, by their nature, must rely heavily on public and private funding sources to achieve their goals. They draw monetary support from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to):

  • Government agencies (NOAA, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, etc.) in the form of grants and partnerships
  • Universities and Research Institutions
  • Donations from companies, corporations and private citizens
  • Their own fund raising efforts

Organizations

Protection

Coral Reef Alliance

Stephen Cowell founded this San Francisco based group in 1994 in an effort to educate the reef diving community about human threats to coral reefs. The organization has since grown into an international education, management and advocacy group that carries out programs in more than a dozen countries. Its board includes prominent individuals from Industry (James Tolonen, former entrepreneur, CEO and current chair), government (Elizabeth Wagner, senior IRS official), and academia (Nancy Knowlton, Smithsonian Chair for Marine Science), who oversee a growing network of volunteers and experts across the globe. It carries out its goals via

  • Micro-grants to local groups working to protect nearby reefs
  • Promoting reef resiliency
  • Awareness programs in critical areas
  • Marine Protected Areas (flagship program)

Among the oldest and most well known, the CRA has weathered numerous management issues [3] and continues to expand, with sites planned in Micronesia and the Indian Ocean. Its expanding efforts in Recreational Tourism have become a model for similar efforts around the world.

Successes:

  • Belize: this former CRA site (and one of their first) saw significant results after 7 years of collaboration with reservations, resorts, newspapers and private citizens
Map of the world showing current future CRA sites [4]

Reef Relief Founders (RRF)

Formed in 1987 by a group of divers concerned about damage to reefs in the Florida Keys brought about by the rapid expansion of tourism in the region, RRF has garnered awards at the local, state, national and international levels for its extensive cleanup and monitoring programs. A smaller organization, its members provide reports on the ecosystems and management strategies of numerous sites in the Caribbean.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) [5]

WWF Symbol
Mission Statement

"We work to conserve the world’s most important natural places and significantly change global forces to protect the future of nature. Our experts are active at every level—from field work to government—conserving the largest tropical rain forests, the most remote areas of our planet, and the world’s most endangered species."

Background

The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization that works on research, conservation and restoration of the environment. It is the world's largest independent conservation program, covering more than 100 countries with 5 million supporters, and supporting 1,300 conservation and environmental projects. It derives 57% of its funding from individuals and bequests, 11% from corporations, and 17% of its funding is from government sources. It was set up on the behalf of endangered animals and was proposed by Victor Stolan, an environmental activist. He and his two partners Julian Huxley and Max Nicholson opened its first office on September 11, 1961.

Approaches to conservation

Currently, WWF's strategy is restoring species or species groups that are important to people or their ecosystem, as well as reducing ecological footprints when it comes to carbon emissions, grazing land, cropland, water, forestry, and fishing. WWF works in a number of avenues such as law, NGOs, governments, farmers, banks, finance, businesses, and individual consumption choices to achieve its goals. WWF's connection to the government is solely that of a lobbyist and collaborator.

Policy making

The policies under WWF are made by board members who are elected on three-year terms. The National Council is an advisory group to the board, while the Executive Teams guide and develop WWF's strategies.

Important programs and campaigns
  • Debt-for-Nature Swap - A debt-for-nature swap is an agreement which offers eligible countries the option to support local conservation activities in exchange for paying off debts.
  • Earth Hour - Earth Hour is one hour out of the whole year that encourages millions of people across the globe to turn off their lights for an hour as a show of concern for the environment.
  • Marine Stewardship Council - "The MSC's fishery certification program and seafood ecolabel recognize and reward sustainable fishing. We are a global organization working with fisheries, seafood companies, scientists, conservation groups and the public to promote the best environmental choice in seafood."

Research

Operation Wallacea (Opwall)

Opwall is a research institution unaffiliated with a government or university that carries out extensive conservation management research programs in remote locales (not limited to coral reefs). Using tuition and fees from students pursuing degrees under the program, it carries out around a dozen expeditions each year to various conservation sites. Its keystone operation is a four step monitoring program:

  • Assess Relative Biodiversity Value
  • Monitor Ecosystem Change
  • Monitor Socio-Economic Change
  • Establish and monitor conservation management programs

Opwall is unique in its emphasis on engaging students at the secondary and post-secondary levels in its research efforts, and it offers students interested in coral reefs the opportunity to promote conservation in an academic setting. The organization places great emphasis on respecting local culture and customs, providing economic benefits to the communities involved and, most importantly, providing comprehensive and relevant information to government agencies responsible for coral reef conservation.

Carmabi Foundation: Caribbean based [6]

  • One of the very first marine research institutes (established 1957)
  • Study fringing reefs of Curacao
  • Operates Curacao Marine Park [7]

Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network

The largest organization of its kind, the GCRMN is devoted to strengthening understanding of coral reefs, promoting the exchange of information throughout the GCMRN network and making such information publicly available in a timely fashion. Encompassing 17 nodes (reef regions): Australia, Central America, Eastern Caribbean, Antigua and Bermuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Antilles, West Indies, Grenada, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, East Africa, Hawaii and U.S. Pacific islands, Mesoamerica, Micronesia, East Asia, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, South Asia, Polynesia, SE Asia, SW Indian Ocean, SW Pacific, and Tropical Eastern Pacific, each with its own set of contacts and experts, GCRMN works with the U.N., Department of Interior and others to monitor ecological and socio-economic changes in the world's reefs. This information is compiled into status reports that is made available to governments, research institutions and NGOs around the world.

Rehabilitation

Large Reef Ball with holes for coral settlement [8]

Reef Ball Foundation

The Reef Ball Foundation is a 501(c)3 that manufactures and sells concrete settlement installations in various sizes. To date, it has succeeded in placing more than a half-million Reef Balls in 60 countries, where they are used to help rebuild reefs and mangroves and to prevent erosion. They are custom made to suit the environment in which they will be used, which includes the pre-planting of sea grasses and abelones, addition of 'stalagmites' to foster vertical coral growth, and the installation of deterrents to destructive fishing such as I-beams.

SECORE

The SECORE (SExual COral REproduction) foundation, initially based at the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands, focuses on [[ReefInhabitants#Corals|coral] breeding. Keystone corals are grown under controlled conditions on substrate tiles and transferred to various sites upon maturation. While more costly than other approaches (some estimates as high as $100 million per hectare [9], coral breeding is a fast and direct method that gives immediate results. In addition, the foundation conducts a number of workshops for reef researchers and promotes interaction between marine scientists and aquariums.

Coral Restoration Foundation

The Coral Restoration Foundation is a non profit that builds nurseries for endangered coral species, particularly staghorn and elkhorn. Divers plant or hang coral in secluded locations under excellent conditions, where it is allowed to grow before being transferred to the reef itself.

Interactive Organization

ReefBase: A Global Information System For Coral Reefs

Resources include:

References

  1. Raney, Dave. "United States Coral Reef Task Force." U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Homepage. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization, Nov. 2005. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.
  2. Côté, Isabelle M., and John D. Reynolds. "Status of Coral Reefs of the World: Summary of Threats and Remedial Action." Coral Reef Conservation. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2006. N. pag. Print.
  3. Wells, Sue. "Assessing the Effectiveness of MPAs." Ed. Isabelle M. Côté and John D. Reynolds. Coral Reef Conservation. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2006. N. pag. Print.
  4. http://www.coral.org/where_we_work
  5. "WWF." - Endangered Species Conservation. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.
  6. Carambi Annual Report 2011" Carambi Foundation. Ed. Stokkermans, Vermeij, De Freitas, and Matthëus, 2011. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
  7. Brown, Barry. "Acropora Restoration Project Curacao." Secore Foundation. SECORE Foundation, 2009, Web. 25 Feb. 2013.
  8. http://reefball.org
  9. Zimmer, Beth. "Coral Reef Restoration: An Overview." Coral Reef Restoration Handbook. Ed. William F. Precht. Boca Raton, FL: CRC/Taylor & Francis, 2006. N. pag. Print.
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