Coral Researchers at NSU are “expanding their collaborations and developing novel approaches to bolster coral resilience”
Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is partnering with the University of Miami (UM) and other South Florida entities on a $16 million NOAA-funded project to enhance the climate resilience of Florida’s coral reefs. “This grant will fuel the ongoing efforts of researchers at NSU’s Oceanographic Campus, where we manage onshore and offshore coral nurseries, rehabilitate and replant damaged corals, and spawn new corals for eventual transplantation,” said Dean Holly Baumgartner of NSU’s Halmos College of Arts and Sciences. “We look forward to expanding our collaborations and developing novel approaches to bolster coral resilience.”
NSU’s Oceanographic Campus will play a crucial role, with key figures like Brian K. Walker PhD, D. Abigail Renegar PhD, and David Gilliam PhD leading efforts in coral nursery management, rehabilitation, and spawning. This initiative, driven by the need to address the 2023 marine heatwave’s impact, will employ innovative techniques such as selective breeding, cross-breeding, conditioning, and probiotics to bolster coral survival.
See the original article:
https://news.nova.edu/news-releases/nsu-joins-um-in-grant-funded-coral-reef-program/
The NOAA-official National Coral Reef Institute
Created through a mandate by Congress in 1998, The National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI), embedded within the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center at Nova Southeastern University, is federally recognized as one of NOAA’s official external coral reef research institutes and it is the only institute labeled as “National”. With this designation, NCRI has received two congressional earmarks in the past 3 years to support the institute’s mission to ensure the future of the world’s coral reefs and oceans for the benefit of humanity and nature. Researchers at NCRI are looking to better understand, assess, monitor, restore, and mitigate injured coral reefs to conserve these vital ecosystems. “NCRI is a multidisciplinary group of coral reef researchers with expertise from ecology to biology, genetics, and management. We aim to lead innovative research, and engage and train the next generation of coral reef researchers, managers, and users to conserve coral reefs”, said the Executive Director of NCRI, Joana Figueiredo PhD.
Recognizing the current threats facing Florida’s Coral Reef, NCRI has been heavily involved in the bi-annual US Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) meetings and recently led collaborative efforts with nine other universities and non-profits to host a reception for congressional staff and jurisdictional representatives attending the US Coral Reef Task Force meeting in Washington, DC. The event was to celebrate the reauthorized Coral Reef Conservation Act and bring attention to Florida’s Coral Reef. The reception provided a venue for coordination and conversation amongst policy makers, natural resource managers, and coral reef researchers. Opening remarks were provided by Dr. Harry Moon and comments were given by Wesley Brooks – Chief Resilience Officer for the State of Florida, Jennifer Koss – Director of the National Ocean & Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, and Carmen Cantor – Assistant Secretary for the Insular and International Affairs.
For more information about NCRI:
https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/national-coral-reef-institute-ncri/
National Coral Reef Management Fellowship
The National Coral Reef Management Fellowship is a partnership between NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, the U.S. Department of Interior Office of Insular Affairs, Nova Southeastern University’s National Coral Reef Institute, and the U.S. Coral Reef All Islands Committee. This program is a two-year fellowship established to address the need for additional coral reef management capacity in seven U.S. coral reef jurisdictions (American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). “The Susan L. Williams National Coral Reef Management Fellowship continues to successfully build capacity in all the U.S. coral jurisdictions. This success is evident in that over the last ten years, 85% of the Coral Fellows have remained in natural resource management, with most continuing their work with coral reefs. This has led to better management and conservation of our nation’s coral reefs, which have been valued at providing services in the U.S. worth $3.4 billion per year, including from fisheries, tourism and coastal protection.”, said the Fellowship Director, Wendy Wood.
The Susan L. Williams National Coral Reef Management Fellows.
The goal is to develop a thriving collaborative fellowship program that builds excellent next-generation leaders and capacity for effective local coral reef ecosystem management. The fellowship provides state and territorial coral reef management agencies with highly qualified candidates whose education and work experience meet each jurisdiction’s specific needs, while offering the fellows professional experience in coastal and coral reef resources management.
For more information:
https://coralreef.noaa.gov/education/fellowship.html
https://hcas.nova.edu/fellows/index.html