§6402 — Title 16 Conservation | U.S. Code

Summary

The Administrator, the Secretary of the Interior, or the Secretary of Commerce may carry out work to conserve and restore coral reefs and reef ecosystems. They must follow all resource-management laws, the National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy, and any coral reef action plans under section 6404. Work can happen in waters managed by a listed federal agency or in coordination with a State in waters the State manages. Allowed activities cover mapping and data collection (current and past live coral cover, habitat quality, priority places for conservation and restoration, and areas needing extra monitoring), enforcing coral protection laws, long-term ecological monitoring, carrying out species recovery plans consistent with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), restoring damaged reefs, reducing land-based threats, improving reef-safe navigation and mooring, responding to bleaching, disease, invasive species, and maritime accidents (including spills and removing grounded vessels), doing scientific research, increasing public awareness, and keeping public data archives and assessments (including NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program data). The federal agencies covered are the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the National Park Service; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and the Office of Insular Affairs.

Title 16, §6402

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Administrator, the Secretary of the Interior, or the Secretary of Commerce may conduct activities described in subsection (b) to conserve and restore coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems that are consistent with—

(1)all applicable laws governing resource management in Federal and State waters, including this chapter;

(2)the National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy; and

(3)coral reef action plans in effect under section 6404 of this title, as applicable.

(b)Activities described in this subsection are activities to conserve, research, monitor, assess, and restore coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems in waters managed under the jurisdiction of a Federal agency specified in subsection (c) or in coordination with a State in waters managed under the jurisdiction of such State, including—

(1)developing, including through the collection of requisite in situ and remotely sensed data, high-quality and digitized maps reflecting—

(A)current and historical live coral cover data;

(B)coral reef habitat quality data;

(C)priority areas for coral reef conservation to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function, including the reef matrix, that benefit coastal communities and living marine resources;

(D)priority areas for coral reef restoration to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function, including the reef matrix, to benefit coastal communities and living marine resources; and

(E)areas of concern that may require enhanced monitoring of coral health and cover;

(2)enhancing compliance with Federal laws that prohibit or regulate—

(A)the taking of coral products or species associated with coral reefs; or

(B)the use and management of coral reef ecosystems;

(3)long-term ecological monitoring of coral reef ecosystems;

(4)implementing species-specific recovery plans for listed coral species consistent with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.);

(5)restoring degraded coral reef ecosystems;

(6)reducing land-based stressors to coral reef ecosystems;

(7)promoting ecologically sound navigation and anchorages, including through navigational aids and expansion of reef-safe anchorages and mooring buoy systems, to enhance recreational access while preventing or minimizing the likelihood of vessel impacts or other physical damage to coral reefs;

(8)monitoring and responding to severe bleaching or mortality events, disease outbreaks, invasive species outbreaks, and significant maritime accidents, including hazardous spill cleanup and the removal of grounded vessels;

(9)conducting scientific research that contributes to the understanding, sustainable use, and long-term conservation of coral reefs;

(10)enhancing public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems and their ecological and socioeconomic value; and

(11)centrally archiving, managing, and distributing on a public website data sets and coral reef ecosystem assessments, including the data repositories of the Coral Reef Conservation Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

(c)A Federal agency specified in this subsection is one of the following:

(1)The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

(2)The National Park Service.

(3)The United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

(4)The Office of Insular Affairs.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a)(1), was in the original “this Act” which was translated as reading “this title”, meaning title II of Pub. L. 106–562, to reflect the probable intent of Congress. The Endangered Species Act of 1973, referred to in subsec. (b)(4), is Pub. L. 93–205, Dec. 28, 1973, 87 Stat. 884, which is classified principally to chapter 35 (§ 1531 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1531 of this title and Tables.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 6402, Pub. L. 106–562, title II, § 203, Dec. 23, 2000, 114 Stat. 2800, related to national coral reef action strategy, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 117–263, div. J, title C, § 10001(a), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3931.

§6402 Federal Coral Reef Management and Restoration Activities