Saipan Tribune

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Coral Reef Task Force preps for upcoming confab

By Clarissa David
Reporter

The Coral Reef Task Force of the CNMI's accomplishments and programs to protect the islands' marine life was the highlight of last Tuesday's membership meeting of the Rotary Club of Saipan at Giovani's Restaurant at the Hyatt.

“Since the Task Force has started, they have passed more than 60 resolutions,” CNMI Coral Reef point of contact Fran Castro told Rotarians.

The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force was established in 1998 by former President Bill Clinton through Presidential Executive Order 13089.

Twelve federal agencies and seven states, territories, and commonwealths were tasked to lead efforts to preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems.

Among these resolutions, Castro said, the biggest one is the Puerto Rico resolution “which calls for local action strategies to be developed in each of the local core jurisdiction.”

When the Puerto Rico resolution passed in 2003, Castro said the CNMI Coral Reef Task Force had a workshop for all stakeholders and resource agencies to identify focus threat areas or action strategies for the islands.

Through the workshop, Castro said they were able to identify land-based sources of pollution, fishery management, lack of awareness and public involvement, and recreational use and misuse as areas that need to be addressed through the Coral Reef Conservation funding.

Castro said the task force has received over $3 million since 2003to deal with these threats.

She said the CNMI Coral Reef Program was formed under the Governor's Office, comprising a policy committee, the point of contact for coral reef matters, a science advisory committee, and a coordinating committee.

The policy committee is composed of the directors of the Division of Environmental Quality, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, and the Coastal Resources Management.

The advisory committee deals with all the ongoing monitoring efforts while the coordinating committee prioritizes the projects needed to protect coral reefs.

Castro said the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force will hold its meeting on Saipan from Sept. 15 to 16 at the Saipan World Resort.

The meeting, which is hosted by the governments of Guam, CNMI and the Federated States of Micronesia, will focus on the Micronesia Challenge initiative signed in 2006.

“It's an initiative signed by the governments of Guam, CNMI, Republic of Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Our goal is to protect or effectively conserve 30 percent of our marine resources and 20 percent of our terrestrial resources,” said Castro.

To achieve this goal by its 2020 target date, Castro said they have taken a watershed approach by concentrating on Laolao Bay, Garapan, Tachogna, and the northeast Tinian coast watersheds.

Programs

Publication and outreach coordinator Lisa Eller said they have various programs that address these conservation efforts, which include the Ridge to Reef Eco Camps, the Coral Reef Internship, the First Friday Film Series, and coastal cleanups.

Through Ridge to Reef, Eller said they are able to foster environmental friendly actions from fourth to sixth graders by taking them to conservation areas and helping them experience the importance of conservation during a weeklong summer camp.

For the Coral Reef Internship program, Eller said they provide opportunities to college students to work on coral reef management projects to build local capacity and deal with natural resource management issues.

Eller said the First Friday Film Series is a partnership with the National Park Service and aims to engage people in addressing issues documented in the films being shown every first Friday of the month at the American Memorial Park.

Eller also said the International Coastal Cleanup on Sept. 25 aims to draw volunteers from the CNMI to participate in the worldwide cleanup of beaches and coastal areas.