Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Hilo, HI 96720.
Hopkins Marine Station and Emmett Interdisciplinary Program for Environment and Resources, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Dec 6;119(49):e2117562119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2117562119. Epub 2022 Dec 2.
Coral reefs are experiencing severe decline, and urgent action is required at local and global scales to curb ecosystem loss. Establishing new regulations to protect corals, however, can be time consuming and costly, and it is therefore necessary to leverage existing legal instruments, such as policies originally designed to address terrestrial rather than marine activities, to prevent coral reef degradation. Focusing on the United States, but drawing on successful examples worldwide, we present actionable pathways to increase coral protections under legislation that was originally designed to advance clean freshwater, safe drinking water, and emergency management. We identify specific legal policies and procedures (e.g., industrial permit limits, nonpoint source management incentives, and floodplain restoration programs) that can curb coral reef pollution and can be extended to other countries with similar regulations in place. Coral reef practitioners should consider a broad array of currently underused, actionable, and intersecting environmental policies that can be applied to mitigate coral stress.
珊瑚礁正面临严重衰退，需要在地方和全球范围内采取紧急行动来遏制生态系统的丧失。然而，制定新的法规来保护珊瑚可能需要耗费大量时间和成本，因此有必要利用现有的法律工具，如最初旨在解决陆地而不是海洋活动的政策，来防止珊瑚礁退化。本文以美国为例，但借鉴了全球范围内的成功案例，提出了在最初旨在推进清洁淡水、安全饮用水和应急管理的立法框架下，增加珊瑚礁保护的可行途径。我们确定了可以遏制珊瑚礁污染的具体法律政策和程序（例如，工业许可证限制、非点源管理激励措施和洪泛区恢复计划），这些政策和程序可以扩展到其他国家，这些国家也有类似的法规。珊瑚礁从业者应该考虑广泛应用目前未被充分利用的、可操作的和相互交叉的环境政策，以减轻珊瑚礁的压力。
