INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP DRAFT REPORT

INTRODUCTION: URGENT CALL FOR ACTION INTERNATIONAL CHARGE OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 13089

"The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the Agency for International Development, in cooperation with other members of the Coral Reef Task Force and drawing upon their expertise, shall assess the U.S. role in international trade and protection of coral reef species and implement appropriate strategies and actions to promote conservation and sustainable use of coral reef resources worldwide. Such actions shall include expanded collaboration with other International Coral Reef Initiative ("ICRI") partners, especially governments, to implement the ICRI through its Framework for Action and the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network at regional, national, and local levels."

URGENT NEED TO REDUCE GLOBAL THREATS TO REEFS

Coral reefs around the world are seriously threatened by direct and indirect human actions. The 1998 Reefs at Risk study found that almost 60% of the world's coral reefs are potentially threatened by human activity - ranging from coastal development and destructive and over-fishing practices to overexploitation of resources, marine pollution and runoff from inland deforestation and farming. Reef Check surveys conducted in 1997 and 1998 found that most reefs are severely over-fished, with most organisms of high commercial-value missing. In addition, the recent global impacts of catastrophic events, such as widespread coral bleaching and mortality and increased storm intensity, compound the more localized human impacts that place reefs at risk.

Six billion people now inhabit our planet, twice as many as 40 years ago, and an additional 3 billion is expected in the next 40 years. Population pressures are particularly acute in coastal areas. Presently, almost half a billion people are estimated to live within 100 kilometers of a coral reef, deriving great benefits from reef resources while placing increasing demands on these complex and fragile ecosystems that can no longer be sustainable met.

The globalization of markets and the surge in international trade are also increasing the risks on reefs. Many coral reef species and resources are harvested around the world for commercial purposes such as food fish, the aquarium trade, live fish markets, construction materials, pharmaceuticals and traditional medicines. Some of this commercial harvest involves destructive fishing practices, and, in many cases, the local and regional intensity of harvest appears to be unsustainable over time.

URGENT NEED FOR U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL ACTION

The United States has strong political and economic interests in protecting international coral reefs. Healthy marine ecosystems are critical to U.S. diplomatic and development strategies to promote economic and food security, social stability, democratic governance, improved human health, disaster and climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation in many countries. Coral reef ecosystems have great economic, social and cultural importance to many nations and entire regions. According to one estimate, coral reefs provide almost $375 billion worth of ecosystem services to humans, from living resources such as fish, as well as tourism and coastal protection. These extremely valuable ecosystems constitute the economic base and future hope for sustained development in many countries, particularly small island nations.

The United States also has strong national interests in the worldwide protection of coral reefs. The ecological health and economic benefits of U.S. coral reefs are intimately connected with international reefs. Waters that bathe the Florida Keys also sweep up through the Wider Caribbean and along the coast of Central America. These currents carry essential larvae and juvenile corals, other invertebrates, and fish that replenish our reefs; they can also carry potentially harmful pollutants and diseases. In the Pacific, coral reefs of Hawaii and U.S. territories are also connected with those of other Indo-Pacific reefs, sharing many of the same coral reef species.

Priority recommendations for action by the U.S. to address key threats were developed by the International Working Group and have been incorporated into the draft report of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, The National Action to Conserve Coral Reefs. This draft report of the International Working Group is presented in support of The National Action Plan to implement the Executive Order.

Strategic U.S. actions to reduce global threats to reefs from human activities can be characterized into six broad categories:

Exercise global leadership in the international arena in shaping and developing environmentally sound and comprehensive ocean and coral reef policy.
Forge strategic partnerships in concert with other governments, non-governmental groups, and the public and private sectors to address international threats.
Build capacity to manage and conserve reef ecosystems and their watersheds in the Wider Caribbean, Pacific, South East Asia, East Africa and the Middle East regions.
Support the creation and management of coral reef Marine Protected Areas, particularly those that contain substantial ecological (i.e. no-take) reserves.
Address the impact of global climate change and coral bleaching on reefs and people.
Address the impact of international trade in coral reef species and the U.S. role.

Support to International Initiatives and Diplomatic Efforts

In developing and implementing strategies and actions to promote conservation and sustainable use of coral reef resources worldwide, the Executive Order calls for expanded collaboration with other International Coral Reef Initiative partners, especially governments, to implement the Framework for Action and the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.

Background: The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) is a partnership among nations and organizations seeking to implement Chapter 17 of Agenda 21, and other international Conventions and agreements for the benefit of coral reefs and related ecosystems. The Initiative was founded by the United States in order to stop and reverse the global degradation of coral reefs and related ecosystems. The ICRI partnership and approach thus far has been to mobilize governments and a wide range of other stakeholders in an effort to improve management practices, increase capacity and political support, and share information on the health of these ecosystems. The Framework for Action calls for action in four major areas: integrated management; capacity building; research and monitoring;and review.

ISSUE: Expand Cooperation with Partners of the International Coral Reef Initiative Through Implementation of ICRI's Framework for Action and the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. As founder of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) in 1994, the U.S. has been a leader in every phase of its development and implementation. ICRI has helped reshape the international scientific and management communities and the public dialogue on the urgency to protect coral ecosystems. Key developments that guide our international strategy include action priorities of ICRI's Renewed Call To Action and its Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.

Proposed Actions and Strategies to Address Key Issues: The USCRTF provides an excellent platform for targeted and coordinated U.S. support to ICRI and the conservation and sustainable use of coral reef resources worldwide, while ICRI can provide an international forum for gaining support and implementing international activities of the Task Force. USCRTF work can provide technical, scientific, legal and policy models for the management and protection of coral reefs, which can be disseminated through a variety of informational and technical assistance channels. The U.S. is, and has been, a strong supporter of international capacity building in natural resource management through its development and outreach programs. The international working group fosters strategic partnerships with other countries, international organizations and institutions, the public and private sectors, and non-governmental organizations to address international threats to coral reef ecosystems and to effectively leverage funds. The U.S. supports ICRI's goal of bringing coral reefs into the work programs of a number of international organizations and conventions, including UNEP, IOC, IUCN, World Heritage and Ramsar Conventions, and to encourage cooperation among them, such as between IOC, IUCN and UNEP as hosts of the GCRMN. UNEP's Regional Seas Program, particularly in the Caribbean and South Pacific, has been effective in situating on-the-ground action in several coral reef regions.

The French Government has asked for strong cooperation with the U.S. as they assume the ICRI Secretariat. Consultations have highlighted opportunities for cooperation on diplomatic efforts, building the commitment of development assistance agencies, and tackling important scientific (e.g. coral bleaching) and management issues.

U.S. commitment to strengthen implementation of the ICRI Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and Reef Check will provide baselines and annual monitoring of reef health and assessment of coral bleaching events, subsequent mortality and ecological and socio-economic impacts. This commitment will require an active partnership of Task Force members, drawing upon their technical expertise and resources, at global and regional levels.

Key recommendations include:

Strengthen the International Coral Reef Initiative and implement its Renewed Call to Action, and support the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and link it with the national monitoring program.
Foster improved coordination with other bilateral assistance programs, multi-lateral development banks, and private foundations to strategically leverage funding and increase effectiveness.
Support ICRI's goal of bringing coral reefs and sustainable fisheries issues into the work program of relevant international conventions, organizations and bodies such as CBD, CITES, UNEP, UNDP, IOC, IMO/IHO, ICLARM, IUCN, WCMC, World Heritage and Ramsar Conventions, WTO, FAO, Law of the Sea, and the Global Programme of Action.
Support the stated needs and priorities of the Small Island Developing States and Alliance of Small Island States by identifying potential areas of cooperation on coral reef conservation issues.
Support counterpart funding for the United Nation Foundation's International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN).
Work with U.S. States and territories to expand coral reef conservation within the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, and highlight the ecological and economic connections between U.S. reefs and international reefs.

ISSUE: US Cooperation with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)

Issues such as coral reef ecosystems, climate change, sustainable fisheries and tourism, coastal protection and integrated development have unique relevance to small island nations.
This year the United Nation's Commission on Sustainable Development conducted a five-year review of the Barbados Declaration and the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.
The global, catastrophic coral bleaching and die-off of 1998 has, for the first time, brought into focus the possibility of severe coral reef ecosystem damage or even collapse should predicted warming trends continue. The ramifications of such damage to communities and countries dependent on coral reef resources for subsistence and economic livelihood, are only now being considered.

Proposed Actions and Strategies to Address Key Issues: All government agencies need to work closely to identify potential and strategic cooperation with SIDS and AOSIS member states in such a way that is responsive to their stated needs and priorities, and that represent US government interests. Focused policy development and research to identify response strategies should address ecosystem scale and socio-economic impacts of coral bleaching. Furthermore, linkages and exchanges between U.S. islands and international small island states should be forged.

The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force adopted the following resolution on March 6, 1999: "It is the sense of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force that the elements of the U.S. Islands Coral Reef Initiative (Islands Initiative) be considered by the Working Groups in the context of their current deliberations, and that the Islands Initiative elements, as updated appropriately, be considered as the first priority for support with fiscal year (FY) 2000 funds as available. And that U.S. agencies engaged in international activities to protect coral reef resources shall engage the U.S. Islands in building effective relationships with small island developing states."

ICRI's Renewed Call to Action: U.S. Efforts to Support Priority Actions

At ICRI's International Tropical Marine Ecosystem Management Symposium in November 1998, over 300 delegates from 49 nations endorsed a Renewed Call to Action, reiterating the call for concerted action by the wide range of stakeholders to reduce the threats to coral reefs and related ecosystems. Below, each priority action that is currently supported by the U.S. government is indicated by an asterisk (*).

Current Priorities of the Renewed Call to Action

In reaffirming the Call to Action and Framework for Action, ITMEMS participants identified the following priority issues to amplify and strengthen the efforts of all in the ICRI partnership:

Issue: Ignorance is destroying coral reefs and related ecosystems.

* Response: Launch multi-faceted, global-to-local-level mass marketing awareness campaigns to change the behavior of people. Bridge the gap between global knowledge and local action through the creation of national coral reef initiatives.

Issue: Pollutants, including sediments and nutrients from land-based human activities, severely threaten the health of coral reef ecosystems. * Response: Develop and implement equitable, participatory, integrated coastal management that incorporates watersheds.

Issue: Destructive and unsustainable fishing practices, such as cyanide, explosives, trawling and other forms of drag-netting, as well as overexploitation, are destroying coral reefs and related ecosystems. * Response: Commit to eliminating fishing practices that are not demonstrably sustainable, by promoting effective enforcement, alternative methods and market incentives.

Issue: Activities of the private sector, including tourism and the trade of coral reef products, can protect or destroy coral reef ecosystems.

* Response: Work with the private sector to foster appreciation of the value of coral reefs and encourage the private sector to use and protect coral reefs and related ecosystems in ecologically sustainable ways by introducing incentives, such as awards and accreditation for better environmental practices.

Issue: An ecosystem approach to management is needed to conserve and restore the values and functions of coral reefs and related ecosystems.

* Response: Implement an integrated approach to management that includes effective marine protected areas, including no-take zones, as a vital component in managing human activities within larger biogeographic frameworks.

Issue: Recognition of traditional knowledge and management systems is vital.

* Response: Increase the confidence and capability of communities to sustainably manage and conserve resources through capacity building and validation of their traditional practices. Integrate traditional and modern approaches to management for effective results.

Issue: Projects have failed because they have not taken into account socioeconomic and cultural factors.

* Response: Socioeconomic and cultural factors are essential components in developing community-based management programs, for tailoring management to local conditions, and for demonstrating the value of tropical marine ecosystems to policy makers and users.

Issue: Managers and communities are not getting the information and management tools they need to make sound management decisions.

* Response: Create and use networks of knowledge-based management systems through networks of people, ideas and information to promote science-based management and public participation in that process.

Issue: Data produced by the GCRMN, Reef Check and other innovative programs have proven the value of monitoring to global reef assessment and local management, but more widespread monitoring is needed.

* Response: Strengthen biophysical and socioeconomic monitoring efforts on all scales to improve management effectiveness. Secure long-term financing.

Issue: Lack of funding undermines actions to address threats to coral reefs, monitor their health, and assess the impact of management practices.

Response: Develop financing in a strategic manner at local, regional and international levels.

Issue: Coral reefs are the life support systems for the existence of small island developing states and many coastal communities of developing tropical countries.

* Response: Urge governments that support the goals of ICRI to promote consideration of this report during the next session of the Commission on Sustainable Development as part of its review of Small Island Developing States, Oceans and Sustainable Tourism issues in 1999. The CSD is urged to recognize this vital relationship and support immediate and effective action to understand and address the threats to these ecosystems. Urge governments to promote ICRI goals within the World Heritage and Ramsar Conventions, in implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Jakarta Mandate as well as other relevant international and regional instruments.

The Call:The participants of the International Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management Symposium, in their Renewed Call to Action, call upon governments, United Nations agencies, bilateral and multilateral financial institutions, scientists, NGOs, local communities and the private sector to implement the 1995 Call to Action and the Framework for Action, taking into account the Renewed Call to Action and working group Priority Actions produced at ITMEMS. Further, we call upon the global community to re-commit to urgent action to address the threats to coral reefs and tropical marine ecosystems.

ICRI's Renewed Call to Action: U.S. Efforts to Support Priority Actions

At ICRI's International Tropical Marine Ecosystem Management Symposium in November 1998, over 300 delegates from 49 nations endorsed a Renewed Call to Action, reiterating the call for concerted action by the wide range of stakeholders to reduce the threats to coral reefs and related ecosystems. Below, each priority action that is currently supported by the U.S. government is indicated by an asterisk (*).

Current Priorities of the Renewed Call to Action

In reaffirming the Call to Action and Framework for Action, ITMEMS participants identified the following priority issues to amplify and strengthen the efforts of all in the ICRI partnership:

Issue: Ignorance is destroying coral reefs and related ecosystems.

* Response: Launch multi-faceted, global-to-local-level mass marketing awareness campaigns to change the behavior of people. Bridge the gap between global knowledge and local action through the creation of national coral reef initiatives.

Issue: Pollutants, including sediments and nutrients from land-based human activities, severely threaten the health of coral reef ecosystems.

* Response: Develop and implement equitable, participatory, integrated coastal management that incorporates watersheds.

Issue: Destructive and unsustainable fishing practices, such as cyanide, explosives, trawling and other forms of drag-netting, as well as overexploitation, are destroying coral reefs and related ecosystems.

* Response: Commit to eliminating fishing practices that are not demonstrably sustainable, by promoting effective enforcement, alternative methods and market incentives.

Issue: Activities of the private sector, including tourism and the trade of coral reef products, can protect or destroy coral reef ecosystems.

* Response: Work with the private sector to foster appreciation of the value of coral reefs and encourage the private sector to use and protect coral reefs and related ecosystems in ecologically sustainable ways by introducing incentives, such as awards and accreditation for better environmental practices.

Issue: An ecosystem approach to management is needed to conserve and restore the values and functions of coral reefs and related ecosystems.

* Response: Implement an integrated approach to management that includes effective marine protected areas, including no-take zones, as a vital component in managing human activities within larger biogeographic frameworks.

Issue: Recognition of traditional knowledge and management systems is vital.

* Response: Increase the confidence and capability of communities to sustainably manage and conserve resources through capacity building and validation of their traditional practices. Integrate traditional and modern approaches to management for effective results.

Issue: Projects have failed because they have not taken into account socioeconomic and cultural factors.

* Response: Socioeconomic and cultural factors are essential components in developing community-based management programs, for tailoring management to local conditions, and for demonstrating the value of tropical marine ecosystems to policy makers and users.

Issue: Managers and communities are not getting the information and management tools they need to make sound management decisions.

* Response: Create and use networks of knowledge-based management systems through networks of people, ideas and information to promote science-based management and public participation in that process.

Issue: Data produced by the GCRMN, Reef Check and other innovative programs have proven the value of monitoring to global reef assessment and local management, but more widespread monitoring is needed.

* Response: Strengthen biophysical and socioeconomic monitoring efforts on all scales to improve management effectiveness. Secure long-term financing.

Issue: Lack of funding undermines actions to address threats to coral reefs, monitor their health, and assess the impact of management practices.

Response: Develop financing in a strategic manner at local, regional and international levels.

Issue: Coral reefs are the life support systems for the existence of small island developing states and many coastal communities of developing tropical countries.

* Response: Urge governments that support the goals of ICRI to promote consideration of this report during the next session of the Commission on Sustainable Development as part of its review of Small Island Developing States, Oceans and Sustainable Tourism issues in 1999. The CSD is urged to recognize this vital relationship and support immediate and effective action to understand and address the threats to these ecosystems. Urge governments to promote ICRI goals within the World Heritage and Ramsar Conventions, in implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Jakarta Mandate as well as other relevant international and regional instruments.

The Call: The participants of the International Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management Symposium, in their Renewed Call to Action, call upon governments, United Nations agencies, bilateral and multilateral financial institutions, scientists, NGOs, local communities and the private sector to implement the 1995 Call to Action and the Framework for Action, taking into account the Renewed Call to Action and working group Priority Actions produced at ITMEMS. Further, we call upon the global community to re-commit to urgent action to address the threats to coral reefs and tropical marine ecosystems.

Appendix: Background on ICRI and the Renewed Call to Action

Townsville, Australia, November 26, 1998

"Coral reefs are in serious decline globally, especially those near shallow shelves and dense populations."

The contents and message of this document were endorsed by over 300 delegates from 49 nations at ICRI's International Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management Symposium in November 1998. This document represents a renewed global call for action on the continuing decline in the health of the world's coral reefs.

The International Coral Reef Initiative

The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) is a partnership among nations and organisations seeking to implement Chapter 17 of Agenda 21, and other international Conventions and agreements for the benefit of coral reefs and related ecosystems. The Initiative was established in order to stop and reverse the global degradation of coral reefs and related ecosystems. The ICRI partnership and approach thus far has been to mobilise governments and a wide range of other stakeholders in an effort to improve management practices, increase capacity and political support, and share information on the health of these ecosystems.

The first International Coral Reef Initiative Workshop was held in the Philippines in June 1995 to enable countries, donors, and development and funding agencies to work with coral reef managers, private sector representatives, non-governmental organisations and scientists to develop a Call to Action and a Framework for Action for achieving sustainable management of coral reefs and related ecosystems.

The Call to Action highlighted the significance of coral reef ecosystems to sustainable development. ‘Coral reef ecosystems offer benefits to humankind beyond those realised for food production, tourism, recreation, aesthetics, and shoreline protection. Capable of sustaining innumerable coastal communities worldwide, these ecosystems also have great economic, social, and cultural importance to nations, and to entire regions. As competition among multiple uses of reef resources increases, so too will their significance to the human populations that depend on them.' Continuing degradation of coral reefs and related ecosystems and their resources may increase the conflict amongst users and threaten environmental and food security. Coral reefs are the life support system for the existence of small island developing states and many coastal communities of developing tropical countries.

The purpose of the Call to Action was, and remains, to mobilise governments and the wide range of other stakeholders whose coordinated vigorous and effective actions are required to address the threats to reefs. The Framework for Action calls for action in four major areas: integrated management; capacity building; research and monitoring; and review.

The Dumaguete City workshop (Philippines, May—June 1995) set in place a strategy for subsequent action under ICRI, including endorsement of the need for periodic review of the extent and success of ICRI implementation as an essential element of the ICRI strategy.

ICRI Achievements 1995—1998

Since the first ICRI Workshop significant progress has been made in implementing the elements of the ICRI Call to Action and Framework for Action. This resulted from the action of many involved stakeholders and through many large and small efforts from the local to the global level.

Governments of ICRI partners and non-government organisations (NGOs) raised the profile of coral reefs in the major international fora. The Initiative was endorsed by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which emphasised the importance of the Regional Seas Program to ICRI, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the scientific community at the Eighth International Coral Reef Symposium in Panama. Agreement was reached on The Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities which bears directly on reducing a major source of threat to reefs.

Regional action plans have been developed in all regions of the world: Tropical Americas; the Pacific; the East Asian Seas; South Asia; Eastern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean; and the Middle East. Regional, and also national and local coral reef initiatives, were created based on the elements of the Framework for Action and ICRI regional strategies. The regional reports presented at the meeting and contained in the workshop report evaluated the state of implementation of numerous coral reef activities in each region. However, the lack of national level commitments to coral reef programs in some countries hindered implementation of global and regional achievements. While UNEP and several of its Regional Seas Programmes have been productive ICRI partners, the ongoing role of UNEP and the function of regional coordination needs strengthening and identified resources.

Growing partnerships with the scientific and NGO communities were particularly effective in advancing ICRI goals. Borne of their strong commitment, the 1997 International Year of the Reef, followed by the 1998 International Year of the Ocean, broadened awareness and commitment around the world and created a new sense of urgency for conservation and sustainable use of coral reef ecosystems. The Pacific Year of the Reef and the launch of the ReefCheck voluntary monitoring network are just two of the many innovative activities of the International Year of the Reef. Each continues to generate action and the information and awareness needed to support that action.

The international science community continues its leading role in the development of new initiatives to better assess the state of coral reef ecosystems and to engage the public in these efforts. ReefCheck has involved recreational divers in over 40 countries to obtain a scientifically valid picture of the impacts of humans on reefs, while also raising public awareness. The ICRI Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) was established under the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and UNEP, and made significant progress in implementing coral reef monitoring around the Indian Ocean and South Asia, and in parts of Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, where the Caribbean Coastal Marine Productivity network is already monitoring reefs in 18 countries. The GCRMN and ReefCheck have now combined forces to form a comprehensive monitoring program. The lack of sustainable funding sources continues to jeopardise the viability of these efforts.

The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, ReefCheck, ReefBase, the Representative Assessment of Management Parameters and other efforts have increased our understanding of the state of reefs — this meeting has reviewed the results of monitoring efforts in all regions of the world produced by ReefCheck and the GCRMN and heard reports on significant efforts to use rapid assessment techniques to survey coral reef ecosystems.

It is also clear that many local communities around the world continued or initiated efforts to find sustainable means to use the marine resources upon which they depend. Many more require the education, capacity building, training and finances necessary to begin to realise this possibility. Since 1995 bilateral and international development resources have continued to be directed at projects related to coastal management, sustainable coastal development, biodiversity conservation and other relevant activities. These activities have not been systematically enumerated but it is clear that some funding priorities have been shaped by ICRI goals. Furthermore the World Bank has shown its strong commitment to building the ICRI partnership by hosting a major coral reef symposium and other efforts. A study conducted by the World Bank in Indonesia has increased our understanding of the economic value of reefs to local, regional and national economies.

We must continue and strengthen this progress in the face of clear evidence of increasing threats to coral reefs and related ecosystems. Fortunately, evidence suggests that reefs have a high capacity for recovery; if pressures are reduced there is hope that the health of many reefs will rebound.

The International Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management Symposium (ITMEMS) was held in Australia in November 1998. The Symposium provided a forum for the review and evaluation of ICRI implementation. The review was conducted within a framework of the four ICRI cornerstones: integrated management; capacity building; research and monitoring; and review. The Symposium also provided an opportunity to identify shortcomings in the global ICRI strategy and for delegates to give guidance to the Secretariat and ICRI partners on the future direction of the Initiative.

Wider Caribbean Region

Wider Caribbean Subgroup

Report to the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force

Need for Strategic Approach to Wider Caribbean

To fulfill the international mandate of the Executive Order for the Protection of Coral Reefs, an interagency working group made up of members representing 12 government agencies and territories has produced a Plan of Action for the Wider Caribbean. Major USG participants were USAID, NOAA, the Department of Interior, and EPA. Through two consultative meetings, the following items were compiled and discussed: the U.S. strategic interests of coral reefs in the Caribbean, current U.S. government and territory programs, short-term U.S. government deliverables for the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) meeting in March, opportunities for improved collaboration among U.S. government entities, actions to be taken with additional funding and partnership opportunities for co-financing priority actions.

1. Overview

United States Strategic Interests

Coastal systems of the wider Caribbean -- the coral reefs, mangroves, and sea grass beds -- harbor globally important biological diversity and support the region's economies. Intact coastal ecosystems are the underpinnings of the region's fisheries and tourism industries, thereby providing sustainable economic opportunities for the people of the Caribbean. Destruction of coastal ecosystems not only threatens biodiversity, but it impoverishes local people, who then are more likely to turn to illicit economic activities and/or migrate to the United States. Coral reefs also buffer coastal communities against disasters and are early indicators of global warming (via coral bleaching). Maintaining the Caribbean's coastal resources outside of the United States also directly impacts the quality of coastal resources within the U.S. (e.g., Florida, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico). This is because migratory species, such as birds and fish, utilize international Caribbean resources, and ocean currents link U.S. reefs with the wider Caribbean ecosystem.

Status of Coral Reef Ecosystems in the Wider Caribbean

A recent World Resources Institute report states that about 9 percent of the world's mapped reefs are found in the Caribbean, especially along the Central American coast and off the Caribbean islands. Of these reefs, almost 2/3 of reefs here are at risk and about 1/3 at high risk (WRI, 1998). Several signs of stress are apparent. Coral diseases have been documented most frequently in the Caribbean region. Several Caribbean species have declined to the point that they are candidates for possible addition to the U.S. Endangered and Threatened Species list, including 2 species of reef building corals (A. palmata and A. cervicornis) and 4 apex predator species (e.g. grouper).

The status of corals and coral reef ecosystems is highly variable in the wider Caribbean. Coral health is generally best on deeper reefs, around low islands, and away from centers of population or tourism development. In recent years, however, there has been a marked trend toward increasing degradation throughout the region. This degradation is the result of several factors, including both direct and indirect impacts. Direct impacts include (1) anchoring, (2) littering, (3) trampling, (4) diver damage, (5) collection of corals and other reef organisms, and (6) overfishing and destructive fishing practices, which has contributed to excessive algal growth -- this growth has replaced live coral cover in many areas. Indirect impacts include those factors contributing to the wide-spread decline in coastal environments in the Caribbean, such as (1) mangrove depletion, (2) increased turbidity due to coastal development, deforestation and poor agricultural practices, (3) land-based pollution loading from industrial wastes, fertilizers, pesticides and other agricultural products, and (4) eutrophication from sewage and other domestic waste (less than 10% of total domestic waste receives treatment before disposal), as well as marine-based pollution from oil refineries, oil tanker traffic and offshore oil reserves (Wilkinson, 1998; Jameson et al., 1995).

Caribbean Institutional Capacity

There are at least a dozen regional institutions and programs operating throughout the Wider Caribbean which support coral reef ecosystem conservation and/or other directly related environmental programs. Considerable capacity also exists at the national level. For example, there are over fifty public and private research institutions and agencies located in twenty-four countries engaged in marine biology, marine ecology, and marine resource management. U.S. government (USG) entities and other international donors provide support to both enhance their institutional capacity and to support their specific programs.

II. Current United States Government Agency and Territory Programs

In implementing its various programs in the Wider Caribbean, the USG and its territories work closely through consultative processes with local stakeholders, and in partnership with national and regional institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), various private sector groups, and other donors. Program areas include: protected areas management and biodiversity conservation; pollution prevention and mitigation; fisheries management; coastal zone management; sustainable tourism; watershed management; sustainable financing; research, monitoring and training; and climate change and disaster mitigation. Table 1 lists U.S. government agencies and territories that have programs in the wider Caribbean (non-U.S.), including the program areas they are involved in.

The Wider Caribbean Sub-Group is currently in the process of compiling a compendium of current government programs and activities in the wider Caribbean (non-U.S. territories). This compendium has proved to be very valuable as the sub-group works to coordinate its efforts. Illustrative examples of these activities include:

USAID's Environment and Coastal Resources Management (ENCORE): in collaboration with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI), and WWF, supports sustainable tourism, coastal zone management, water quality monitoring, and marine park protection in the Eastern Caribbean. Ended 9/99 but elements have been included in the new regional program described below.
NOAA's Coral Disease Mapping Program: the National Marine Fisheries Service has developed guides to Western Atlantic coral diseases and is collaborating with the World Conservation Monitoring Center (WCMC) to develop GIS-based maps of the reported global incidences of coral diseases.
EPA's Wider Caribbean Initiative on Coral Reefs-Agreement on Land-Based Sources: involves the negotiation of legally binding agreement for the wider Caribbean Region which will establish regional effluent standards for domestic wastewater and best management practice's for agriculture and non-point sources.
DOI/Interagency Caribbean Marine Protected Area Management network (CaMPAM): is a collaborative effort between the National Park Service, the United Nations Environment Programme and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that aims to improve marine protected area management through the exchange of knowledge, ideas and experiences. Currently, over 300 managers are members of the consortium.

III. Proposed Actions and Strategies

A. Recommended Short Term Deliverables

The Coral Reef Task Force should announce the State Department's earmarked funding for the United Nations Environment Programme's Caribbean Environment Programme (UNEP CEP), a clearinghouse for marine and coastal environmental data and information in the Wider Caribbean Region.
The Coral Reef Task Force should announce that USAID has developed a five year insular Caribbean Regional Environment Strategy after extensive consultations in the region. Program design is underway with implementation beginning in December, 1999.
The Coral Reef Task Force should promote implementation of the Tulum Declaration to support MesoAmerican coral reefs. The declaration was signed in 1997 by the Prime Minister of Belize and the presidents of Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico to conserve the world's second longest coral reef, running from the tip of the Yucatan in Mexico to Honduras's Bay Islands.
The Coral Reef Task Force should make a high-profile call for the ratification of the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles, with follow-on legislative push by the Agencies.
The Coral Reef Task Force should support a permanent interagency committee to coordinate USG coral reef efforts for the wider Caribbean.

B. Opportunities

Improved Collaboration Among USG Agencies and Territories

To maximize the impacts of the USG's current investments to protect coral reefs and conserve other coastal ecosystems of the Greater Caribbean, improved information dissemination and collaboration among USG agencies and territories is needed. Therefore, an interagency working group on international coral reef affairs will be established and will meet regularly to improve USG coordination and to identify critical gaps in donor efforts.

U.S. Government Priority Actions to be Taken with Additional Funding

Below is a list of priority actions if additional USG support becomes available. The interagency working group will also seek partnerships with other donors, regional institutions, key NGOs and local government agencies to mobilize resources for these actions.

Caribbean Marine Protected Area Management: Enhance effectiveness of existing marine protected areas; assist in the development of new MPAs of national and regional importance; and support the implementation of a network of marine protected area managers (CaMPAM).
Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN): Implement the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and other valuable assessment activities (AGRA) in the wider Caribbean region by assisting with the establishment of a regional node and coordination among monitoring programs, e.g., CARICOMP.
Prevention of Marine Pollution and Physical Damage through Safe Navigation: Address safe and ecologically sound navigation, working with relevant international (International Maritime Organization and International Hydrographic Organization) and regional organizations, by promoting and integrating Federal activities in the region related to:
Proper Disposal of Ship Generated Garbage;
Contingency Plans for Response to Hazardous Material Spills;
Prevent Groundings on Coral;
Damage Assessment; and,
Charting
Integrated Coastal Zone Management: Implement the Cartagena Convention Protocol (Land based Source Pollution Protocol) now under discussion to address pollution of the marine environment from land-based activities. Identify innovative practices for coastal zone and watershed management and demonstrate their effectiveness in the region through pilot activities. Support sustainable tourism initiatives. Support community-based ICZM programs (i.e. Peace Corps).
Protected Areas Management and Biodiversity Resources: Develop and implement conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, focused on management of critical habitat, by linking and strengthening existing programs (Parks in Peril, CAMPAM, Western Hemisphere Convention) and new initiatives (MesoAmerica Reef, zoning/no-take reserves).

Co-financing Opportunities with Non-USG Entities: Multilaterals, Bilaterals, Private Sector, Private Foundations and NGOs

The magnitude of the challenge requires donor coordination and will be a priority in the USG's design of programs and its consultations with other donors, NGOs and host countries. There are numerous donors (e.g., UNDP, Global Environment Facility, Caribbean Development Bank), regional institutions (e.g., Central American Commission on Environment and Development, CARICOM, others), and non-governmental organizations (e.g., Island Resources Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Center for Marine Conservation), currently financing coral reef conservation and related programs in the region that offer opportunity for partnership. The USG will actively seek these co-financing opportunities for current activities and priority actions with additional funding.

South East Asia Region

South East Asia Subgroup

Report to the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force

Need for Strategic Approach to South East Asia Region:

Coral reefs in South East Asia are severely threatened or degraded due to destructive fishing practices, international trade in coral reef organisms, overfishing, land-based sources of pollution, coral bleaching events, mangrove deforestation, and coastal population pressures. The coastal waters of South East Asian countries once represented some of the world's richest marine ecosystems, characterized by extensive coastlines, coral reefs and mangrove forests. Over 70% of the population in the region live in close proximity to the coast, and coastal and marine ecosystems provide subsistence resources for a considerable proportion of the population. Coastal resources are also important to national economies; for example, about 23% of the national economic output (GDP) of Indonesia is derived from coastal and marine industries, such as fishing, tourism and transport. However, coastal areas are now exposed to high-level resource exploitation brought about by increasing population pressure and associated economic activities, such as tourism, fishing, coastal aquaculture, waste disposal, salt-making, tin mining, oil drilling, tanker traffic, rural construction, and industrialization.

Large-scale destruction of the region's resources, as well as unisectoral overuse, have caused serious degradation of the environment. Deforestation, indiscriminate logging and mining in upland areas have proved detrimental to lowland activities, such as fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal-dependent tourism activities. Indiscriminate cutting of mangroves for aquaculture, fuel wood, and timber has lead to the loss of nurseries for commercially important fish and shrimp, the loss of important coastal buffer zones from storms and waves, as well as an increase in soil erosion. Overfishing and the use of destructive fishing practice - such as dynamite blasting, cyanide fishing, and fishing in spawning aggregation sites - have caused serious reductions in fish stocks and the destruction of fish and reef habitats. The globalization of the fish and seafood markets, coupled with the decline of fish stocks in temperate and cold water fisheries, has exacerbated the fishing pressures, leading to ever more destructive fishing practices.

The 1998 Reefs at Risk report, by the World Resources Institute, found that over 80% of the reefs in this region are at risk from human activities, with over half (56%) at high risk. A pressing need in the region is to stop the spread of destructive fishing practices, such as use of cyanide and explosives to catch fish from coral reefs; large areas of reef are being destroyed and key species of large fish are threatened by these illegal-fishing practices. The Asian financial crisis is accelerating the environmental degradation of reef resources.

Summary of Current US Activities:

US ongoing programs in coral reef and coastal resources management in Southeast Asia are primarily activities being implemented within wider community-based natural resources programs and national capacity-building efforts in the Philippines and Indonesia. These activities combine demonstrations of improved management by local communities with support from government, NGOs and private sector, and they include policy reform for decentralizing and clarifying management authorities, institutional capacity building, technology transfer, and dispute resolution elements. USAID's bilateral program in Philippines and Indonesia are partially addressing the issues of overfishing and destructive fishing, but lack the geographic scope or mandate for the broader regional effort that is needed. There is an opportunity to work with US and international environment groups that are actively involved in the region.

1. Key Issues/Threats/Pressures:

International Trade and Destructive Fishing Practices

International trade in corals and fish is driving destructive and unsustainable fishing practices, particularly in the Indo-Pacific Region. Almost 80% of the live and dead coral trade and over 50% of the aquarium fish trade is imported into the U.S.; some of the trade originates from South East Asia and the Pacific regions. Most American consumers are unaware of the impact of the aquarium and curio trades on coral reefs.

Destructive Fishing Practices — blast-fishing, cyanide-fishing and the live-food fish trade

Destructive fishing practices are serious threats to some of the world's richest coral reefs. Destructive activities are those that damage the habitat and associated organisms in addition to the target species, and include blast fishing, fish poisoning, muro ami, trawling, and over collecting of coral. Blast fishing is driven primarily by the subsistence needs of small-scale fishers. However, cyanide fishing is driven entirely by the lucrative and unregulated international trade in marine aquarium fishes and live reef food fishes. Cyanide is used by fishermen to stun and capture reef fish alive, but the cyanide also kills corals and many other coral reef organisms.

In 1995, it was estimated that the annual volume of the live reef food fish trade in Asia was between 20,000 and 25,000 metric tons (mostly groupers and large wrasses) with an estimated annual retail value of approximately $1 billion. The total annual volume of the marine aquarium fish trade, approximately 10 to 30 million specimens comprising hundreds of species, represents an annual retail value of approximately $200 to $750 million. Most of this trade passes through the port of Hong Kong.

Recently the practice of cyanide fishing has spread to other countries to meet the growing worldwide demand for ornamental aquarium fishes and for live reef food fish (especially in the restaurant trade in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan). Cyanide fishing is especially widespread in Indonesia, and has also been confirmed in Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Maldives. There are unconfirmed reports from the Red Sea, Palau, Tanzania, the Seychelles, Sri Lanka, the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Haiti.

Overfishing and Food Insecurity

Coral reefs are particularly critical to the food security of the South East Asia region. Coral reefs and associated sea grass and mangrove habitats provide fishery resources that represent a critical source of food, for both subsistence and commercial fishers. In developing countries, coral reefs contribute about one quarter of the total marine catch. In Asia alone, nearly one billion people depend on these resources for food. Reef fisheries have already been greatly diminished by overfishing and habitat destruction in South East Asia.

Land-based Sources of Pollution

Land-based sources of marine pollution pose some of the greatest threats to coral reefs because of their widespread impact on water quality. Land-based sources of pollution include run-off from coastal development, agricultural practices, industrial activities and inland deforestation. In South East Asia more than 70% of the region's people live within the coastal zone.

Proposed Actions and Strategies to Address Key Issues

Key components of a regional strategy include actions to address unsustainable coral trade and destructive fishing, and to evaluate the causes and consequences of the severe coral bleaching that has impacted this region. To contribute to the long-term viability of reef ecosystems, development programs need to address approaches to sustainable coastal management, watershed management and sustainable cities.

Measures to address destructive fishing practices depend first and foremost on education (of both the fisher and consumer), alleviating poverty and overfishing, proper legislation and regulation to ban improper techniques, and enforcement of existing and new fishing regulations. In most cases, destructive fishing techniques are associated with poverty and a perceived lack of viable alternatives. Adoption and implementation of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing by all states is also a key step.

The Government of the Philippines, in close cooperation with non-governmental and fishing communities, has been a leader in addressing cyanide fishing. The Philippines has the only effective program to combat cyanide fishing, and provides a model for other exporting countries. Workshops sponsored by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) in 1997 also point to workable solutions. APEC includes major exporting and importing countries and the U.S.-hosted APEC Oceans Conference (10/98) addressed cyanide fishing. Solutions require action and commitment on the part of live reef fish exporting countries and regional cooperation among trade partners. Specific recommendations for action include:

Strengthen community-based management of local fisheries and education of local fishers in alternatives to cyanide fishing (e.g., hook and line fishing for live food fish and netting aquarium fishes). Promote alternative sources of income and environmental education.
Support capacity building for environmental management by engaging Peace Corps volunteers to help integrate and disseminate traditional and non-traditional natural resource management.
Provide information to consumers to identify fishes that were captured using sustainable techniques (see international trade section), explore private sector approaches to establish trade standards, oversee environmental certification and promote conservation education for commercial food fishes and aquarium fishes, respectively.
Promoting anti-cyanide policies and practices for the aquarium fish industry in the United States and Europe, and for the live food fish industry in Asia.
Conduct studies to assess the relative impacts of different threats --cyanide vs. blast-fishing vs. aquarium trade — on coral reefs throughout the region, and the potential socio-economic consequences.
Work with members of the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to implement the APEC recommendations for addressing destructive fishing.
Support efforts to engage the private sector in implementing the Global Plan of Action for Land-based Sources of Pollution.
Support a representative network of marine protected areas throughout the region, as called for by ICRI and the IUCN. The Asian financial crisis has caused many countries in the region to reduce government expenditures. The financing of parks and protected areas for marine biological diversity conservation has been cut dramatically in many countries.
Support a regional network of marine park and coastal managers, for the sharing of information and best practices.
Map the locations of deeper coral reefs and protect them from trawling; technological improvements in trawling gear are exposing coral reefs to the destructive practice of bottom trawling.

SHORT-TERM DELIVERABLES:

Significant policy coordination at global level, and major funding through UNEP to the Regional Seas Programs for the GCRMN and regional ICRI coordination. (State: FY99 $150,000)
Support for capacity building in marine park management in Indonesia (Komodo National Park) and Papua New Guinea (Kimbe Bay), implemented by The Nature Conservancy (USAID: FY00 $400K).

Almost $1.3 million in new funds was directed in 1999 towards protecting coral reef resources under the "East Asia and Pacific Environmental Initiative." Programs under this initiative were specifically designed to address aspects of the international trade issue in coral and coral reef species, land-based sources of pollution, and marine protected areas, including:

Actions to retrain fishers on the use of non-destructive fishing practices and to stop the spread of cyanide use, and to establish monitoring programs to assess and inventory the trade in live food fish, particularly through the port of Hong Kong. Implementation is through the Destructive Fishing Reform Initiative of the International Marinelife Alliance/ World Resources Institute.
Actions to address the live food fish trade through advancing policies, laws, management plans, awareness, and alternative livelihood programs such as maricultured live reef fish. Implementation is through The Nature Conservancy.
Actions that engage the private sector in establishing cyanide-free and sustainability certification plans for aquarium fish and coral species. Implementation is through the Marine Aquarium Council.
Coral reef conservation efforts of the South Pacific Region Environmental Program (SPREP). Activities will address destructive fishing practices, coral harvest for foreign markets, coral bleaching and other threats, and include training workshops for member nations to develop permit systems, and certification and labeling protocols for the coral harvest and trade.
Capacity-building in protected areas law enforcement for resource professionals, implemented by the Department of the Interior in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund.
Sea turtle conservation efforts through policy dialogue, information exchange, sea turtle monitoring of migratory range, and a multilateral conference to address regional conservation needs. Activities will be implemented by the Department of State and NOAA.
Actions to protect the Sulu-Sulawesi Large Marine Ecosystem, an area that is rich in coral, fish and sea turtle biodiversity. Activities include increased management capacity and enforcement at marine protected areas and is implemented by the World Wildlife Fund.
Actions to engage the private sector in addressing land-based sources of pollution through a Partnership Market meeting.

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