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for threatened coral species

Hidden beneath the surface of the sea, coral reefs are among the richest ecosystems on Earth, providing habitat for a quarter of all marine species. Coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion, offer opportunities for recreation, and provide critical jobs for local communities which subsist on the rich bounty of fish that call coral reefs home.?

An estimated 50% of coral reefs worldwide have already been lost to climate change and about one-third of reef-building coral species are at risk of extinction. Coastal development, pollution that originates from land, overfishing and destruction from recreational and tourist activities are causing corals to decline.

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The rule will designate critical habitat for 5,900 square miles in the Caribbean and 230 square miles in the Indo-Pacific. These areas are essential to the conservation of threatened coral species including boulder star coral, mountainous star coral, pillar coral, and rough cactus coral — species that have undergone some level of population decline and are susceptible to multiple threats.?

Comments are due TOMORROW.??

Thank you for your support,??

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? ???Joanie Steinhaus
? ? ?Gulf Program Director
? ? ?Turtle Island Restoration Network

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Make a Splash!

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