The territory is in position to get $225,000 out of $1.3 million in federal funds earmarked for coral reef conservation, according to Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett.
Plaskett was in Washington, D.C., last week to attend a meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. He said the territory could receive $225,000 in federal funds to develop a marine management plan and eventually a marine park.
The Washington meeting followed up on a task force conference on St. Croix last November at which a national action plan to conserve coral reefs was adopted. The plan recommends federal, state and territorial actions toward the sustainable growth of coral reef ecosystems.
At last week’s meeting, Plaskett said, Virgin Islands plans to establish marine sanctuaries and a marine park system were recognized. The federal government will help fund such plans, he said.
Congress has appropriated $6 million in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration funds for coral reef conservation this fiscal year. The Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and the Office of Insular Affairs have also received increased funding for coral reef protection.
NOAA and the Office of Insular Affairs will award approximately $1.3 million to support All Islands Coral Reef Initiative Strategy projects. Plaskett said the Virgin Islands could realize $225,000 of that amount. He said his department is ready to work with the National Park Service, the University of the Virgin Islands and non-governmental organizations to develop a territorial coral reef plan.
