WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate passed Sen. Mazie K. Hirono’s bipartisan resolution celebrating the 20th anniversary of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, which brings together stakeholders from Hawaii and other coastal states and territories as well as 12 federal agencies to build partnerships and support for coral reef conservation.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate passed Sen. Mazie K. Hirono’s bipartisan resolution celebrating the 20th anniversary of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, which brings together stakeholders from Hawaii and other coastal states and territories as well as 12 federal agencies to build partnerships and support for coral reef conservation.
“Coral reefs in Hawaii and across the world continue to be endangered by climate change and manmade pollution,” Hirono said. “The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force brings together a wide range of stakeholders to restore coral reefs and encourage coastal communities to participate in conservation efforts.”
“The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force has been a valuable source of leadership for the protection of coral reefs and those who depend on them,” said Dr. Robert H. Richmond, research professor and director, Kewalo Marine Laboratory at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “With nearly 500 million people worldwide benefiting from the ecosystem services and both cultural and economic benefits of coral reefs estimated at $1 trillion, the work of the task force has never been more urgent. Coral reefs are threatened, but not doomed.”
Last year, Hirono introduced the Coral Reef Sustainability Through Innovation Act, which would direct federal agencies to establish competitive prizes to develop novel solutions that would reverse the decline or degradation of coral reefs.
