The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will add 20 new coral species to the list of those protected under the Endangered Species Act.
All of the species will be listed as threatened; 15 of these coral are located in the Indo-Pacific and five in the Caribbean.
"Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth, providing habitat for many marine species. Protecting and conserving these biologically rich ecosystems is essential, and the Endangered Species Act gives us the tools to conserve and recover those corals most in need of protection," said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for NOAA Fisheries. "The final decision is a result of the most extensive rulemaking ever undertaken by NOAA. The amount of scientific information sought, obtained and analyzed was unprecedented."
The announcement stems from an onslaught of new scientific papers on climate change and coral habitat abundance published over the past two years. This, along with public comments, helped the NOAA make their ruling decisions.
"We want to thank our stakeholders and partners for their strong participation at each step of this process, and we look forward to working with the states, territories, commonwealths, local governments and all our stakeholders and partners to conserve these coral species and ensure they remain for future generations to enjoy," said Sobeck.
Coral reefs are critical in the upkeep of marine ecosystems, but they are largely threatened. Coral reefs have been on the decline, and some have disappeared by as much as 90 percent. Healthy coral reefs provide significant shoreline protection for vulnerable coastal communities and are habitats to a large population of species.
In the rule-making process the NOAA pinpointed several threats to coral ecosystems, some of which included: "climate change (rising ocean temperatures, ocean acidification and disease), ecological effects of fishing, and poor land-use practices," the NOAA reported.
The NOAA will work to develop mitigation measures and recovery plans for the areas containing threatened coral.
