Division of Coastal Resources Management; Office of Planning and Development; Division of Fish and Wildlife; Mariana Islands Nature Alliance; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Johnston Applied Marine Sciences

Draft Action Plan for Coral Reef Restoration in Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

2021

Division of Coastal Resources Management; Office of Planning and Development; Division of Fish and Wildlife; Mariana Islands Nature Alliance; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Johnston Applied Marine Sciences

"The following priority goals were identified to address live coral loss and subsequent decline in reef ecosystem function from ongoing and future threats to Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Island's (CNMI) coral reef ecosystems. The rationale was to maintain and enhance reef ecosystem function with specific focus on coastal protection services through wave attenuation and supporting habitat connectivity and biodiversity for fisheries. Loss of coastal protection services and fisheries habitat were seen as a major concern due to the multiple stressors CNMI's reefs have endured and the impact this will have on the community. Implementing coral restoration within the CNMI is seen as a critical and necessary effort to assist coral recovery from past disturbances, and preserving and enhancing genetic diversity to increase adaptive potential to climate change impacts, which includes: increase in frequency of bleaching events, increasing storm intensity, ocean acidification, and sea level rise. Coral restoration will also compliment watershed management plans to be implemented by multiple government agencies. The following list is priority goals drafted by the restoration planning team: Goal 1: Within 10 years, reef structure is restored or enhanced on Saipan's western side to reduce wave energy that threatens coastal infrastructure, improving the CNMI's resilience to sea level rise and increased storm events. Goal 2: Coral populations are restored to correct habitat gaps created by land-based runoff, shoreline development, and other human impacts, in order to enhance habitat connectivity needed to support coral and reef fish recruitment under changing land and ocean conditions. Goal 3: Within 5 years, management agencies have the ability to respond to acute reef disturbances through both rapid assessment and mitigation activities to reduce reef damage caused by coral bleaching, crown-of-thorns outbreaks, storm events, or ship groundings."

coral reef, restoration, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, CNMI

NMFS

OCM

FY2021 CRCP Project ID 31238; Project Title: Collaboration and capacity building for coral restoration in the Pacific Islands; Principal Investigator: Lani Watson