{"id":9834,"date":"2018-03-20T22:19:06","date_gmt":"2018-03-21T02:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mote.org\/?p=9834"},"modified":"2024-05-15T22:19:35","modified_gmt":"2024-05-16T02:19:35","slug":"motes-coral-restoration-initiative-receives-continued-support-by-florida-budget-appropriation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mote.org\/news\/motes-coral-restoration-initiative-receives-continued-support-by-florida-budget-appropriation\/","title":{"rendered":"Mote\u2019s coral restoration initiative receives continued support by Florida budget appropriation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mote Marine Laboratory\u2019s science-based coral reef restoration initiative for the Florida Keys received major support in the State of Florida budget signed by Governor Rick Scott, Friday, March 16. A total of $500,000 was appropriated by Florida\u2019s legislators and approved by the governor for Mote\u2019s Coral Reef Restoration Initiative, in coordination with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Department of Environmental Protection.<\/p>\n

This is the second year Mote has received government funding for coral restoration; last year\u2019s appropriation will allow scientists to restore 25,000 corals to Florida\u2019s reefs in the 2018 fiscal year, and the new appropriation will allow an additional 25,000 corals to be restored in the 2019 fiscal year.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlorida Keys coral reefs are the basis of a $6-billion annual economy and 71,000 jobs in Florida; reef restoration is critical for preserving and nurturing the beauty, biodiversity, cultural values and economic impact of this natural treasure,\u201d said Dr. Michael P. Crosby, President & CEO of Mote. \u201cThe Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary’s Coral Reef Ecosystem Restoration Working Group, and many others, have recommended the need for intensive coral reef restoration in the Florida Keys to address decades of coral loss. We want to meet this need through successful, science-based restoration strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the past decade, Mote scientists have planted more than 35,000 corals onto Florida\u2019s reefs, working with multiple partners to achieve effective restoration. In May 2016, Mote opened its Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration (IC2R3), along with the Alfred Goldstein Institution for Climate Change Studies<\/a>, at its longstanding Summerland Key campus, expanding scientific capabilities and nursery space to produce coral fragments for restoration.<\/p>\n

For years, Mote scientists have restored depleted coral reef areas with fragments of staghorn coral, a threatened branching species, along with massive reef-building species of brain, boulder and star corals grown in nurseries using an innovative method: microfragmentation and fusion. This method, whose restoration applications were pioneered by Mote scientists, involves breaking corals into tiny microfragments to significantly speed their growth.<\/p>\n

Significantly advancing this technology, Mote scientists are employing research infrastructure partially funded by the National Science Foundation to identify and selectively restore a variety of genetic strains of corals that are more resilient and resistant to disease, warming ocean temperatures and ocean acidification. The newly funded Mote Coral Restoration Initiative will allow scientists at Mote\u2019s IC2R3 to employ this research to outplant multiple coral species, including reef-building brain, boulder and star corals and branching elkhorn coral grown in Mote\u2019s land-based nursery, and staghorn coral grown in its underwater nursery.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom coral disease research to restoration outplantings, Mote\u2019s efforts are improving a vital resource for Florida,\u201d said State Representative Holly Raschein. \u201cI am truly pleased that the state budget appropriation will help them continue and expand their work restoring coral reefs for future generations, while ensuring that restoration is supported by sound science. \u201d<\/p>\n

Mote scientists work to provide policymakers, resource managers and the general public with scientifically supported, objective information about coral reef declines and the opportunities to restore reefs. In turn, Mote values the critical support of both private donations and public appropriations.<\/p>\n

Said Mote CEO Crosby: \u201cWe sincerely thank State Representative Holly Raschein, as well as her many legislative co-sponsors, for environmental leadership in support of this innovative reef restoration initiative.\u00a0 Governor Scott is also to be applauded for his endorsement of applying and advancing evidence-based coral restoration science and technology to address and mitigate the global threats that challenge the existence of Florida Keys coral reefs. Because of all their collective efforts, we now have more than just hope for the future of Florida\u2019s coral reefs.\u201d<\/p>\n