Newsflash
November 25, 2008 – Group Plans Suit Against Bush Administration for Ignoring Global Warming Threat to Coral Habitat
Relatives of the sea anemone and every bit as splashy, corals display hues ranging from brilliant orange and deep salmon to pale pink and subtle violet. Often referred to as “rainforests of the sea,” coral reefs are perhaps the greatest, most vibrant expressions of ocean life. Yet due to global warming, already-delicate coral reefs throughout the Caribbean and along the coast of Florida are vanishing at unprecedented rates.
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT PROFILE
PROTECTION STATUS: Threatened
YEAR PLACED ON LIST: 2006
CRITICAL HABITAT: Due in 2008 under terms of legal settlement
RECOVERY PLAN: None
RANGE: The Florida Keys, Bahamas, and Caribbean islands, including the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
THREATS: Global warming, agricultural runoff, increasingly frequent hurricanes, coral bleaching, disease, coastal development, overfishing, pollution, and ocean acidification
POPULATION TREND: Since the 1970s, Caribbean coral populations have collapsed throughout their range, declining by up to 97 percent.
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SAVING elkhorn corals
Elkhorn and staghorn corals have been the primary reef-building corals throughout Florida and the Caribbean for nearly half a million years. Nowadays, fast-fading coral reefs, which are visibly sensitive to environmental stress, reflect poor overall ocean health. Decimated by global climate change, these species have suffered significant losses.
But thanks to a citizen petition the Center submitted, elkhorn and staghorn corals gained federal legal protection in 2006, becoming the first species to be listed under the Endangered Species Act because of vulnerability to global warming. These corals will also soon have protected habitat on account of our legal efforts: In a court-approved settlement of a lawsuit we filed, it was determined that the government must designate critical habitat for elkhorn and staghorn corals by the end of 2008. Until then — and afterward — due to a rule the National Marine Fisheries Service passed in October 2008, all activities that might harm the corals or their habitat are prohibited.
Elkhorn and staghorn corals now also have almost 3,00 square miles of protected habitat on account of our legal efforts. Unfortunately, the Fish and Wildlife Service included a giant loophole in its critical habitat rule disregarding the threats of global warming and ocean acidification — so the Center is preparing to sue.
Protection under the Endangered Species Act opens the door to greater opportunities for coral reef conservation. It also requires greenhouse-gas-emitting industries to grapple with their impacts on vulnerable coral species. If we can keep the polluters at bay, these colorful critters can and will make a comeback.
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Contact: Miyoko Sakashita
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