NOAA designates 6,500 square miles of Critical Habitat to protect Caribbean Corals
JEREMY GAY16 HOURS AGO
NOAA Fisheries has published a final rule to designate critical habitat for five species of Caribbean coral under the US Endangered Species Act. Effective from September 8, 2023, 28 mostly overlapping areas in US waters will be designated Critical Habitat, (and thus protected,) to aid the survival of five threatened Caribbean Coral Species, Orbicella annularis, O. faveolata, O. franksi, Dendrogyra cylindrus, and Mycetophyllia ferox.
Critical habitat is defined in Section 3 of the Endangered Species Act as the specific areas within a geographical area that are essential to the conservation of a species. NOAA identified waters in Florida, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Navassa Island, and the Flower Garden Banks that contain that essential feature. The Navy’s South Florida Ocean Measuring Facility complex in Florida is excluded because of impacts on national security.
The proposal for critical habitat designation stems back to 2014, when NOAA said it would gain information on the need for protection of the five Caribbean coral species listed above which also occur in US waters. In November 2020, critical habitat status was proposed and today NOAA has released a hugely detailed report and a date of less than one month’s time when the designated protected areas will come into force.
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NOAA designates 6,500 square miles of Critical Habitat to protect Caribbean Corals | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog
NOAA Fisheries has published a final rule to designate critical habitat for five species of Caribbean coral under the US Endangered Species Act. Effective from September 8, 2023…
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