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Project Summary

Coral reefs are extremely vulnerable to climate change impacts, especially when combined with existing stresses such as land-based sources of pollution, habitat degradation, and overfishing. EcoAdapt has been working on a climate change action plan for Florida's reefs as result of the Reef Resilience conference recommendations in 2008. The “Florida Climate Change Action Plan for the Florida Reef Tract 2010-2015” (Action Plan), developed as a collaboration of the Florida Reef Resilience Program (FRRP) steering committee, recognizes the need to reduce local impacts to increase resilience and offers a framework of adaptable actions to be implemented into reef management plans to address the complex factors associated with climate change.

Project Background

Two major factors will dictate the future health of the Florida Reef Tract: the rate and extent of climate change and the resilience of Florida’s coral reef ecosystem to climate change. While the larger issue of climate change mitigation is a matter for international policy, the resilience of Florida’s coral reefs is under the influence of local management strategies. To secure the future of Florida’s coral reefs, it is essential for the agencies responsible for managing the reefs themselves, other marine natural resources, and adjacent lands and watersheds to do everything possible to restore and maintain the resilience of the ecosystem. It is critical that coordinated actions are taken to protect biodiversity, improve water quality, and ensure sustainable fishing.

Resilience-based management of the Florida Reef Tract is core business for Florida’s coral reef managers. The realization of climate change-related threats makes these efforts even more important, while also presenting new challenges and demanding further action. Without such action, Florida’s reefs face a bleak future under almost all possible future climate scenarios. By taking action, responsible federal, state, and local government agencies can provide global leadership in the management of coral reef ecosystems facing threats from climate change.

The Action Plan outlines a way forward for federal, state, and local government agencies to comprehensively act to maximize the resilience of Florida’s coral reefs. The Action Plan was created as part of the recommendations from the Florida Reef Resilience Program (FRRP) 2008 conference "Coping with Climate Change" and following the leadership of the Great Barrier Reef Climate Action Plan. It was developed as a collaboration of the FRRP steering committee, which includes EcoAdapt, NOAA, The Nature Conservancy, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, University of South Florida, University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative, Florida Institute of Technology, Mote Marine Laboratory, Nova Southeastern University, and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.