The National Coral Reef Institute

The National Coral Reef Institute is housed at the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center (NSU OC) on Port Everglades, and part of the communities of Hollywood, Dania Beach, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It has a large marina, and its 10-acre campus is located on the water—affording immediate access to the reefs of Southeast Florida. The United States Congress mandated the creation of the National Coral Reef Institute in 1998. NCRI receives funding from a variety of sources, including through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (NOAA/CSCOR), which is part of the National Ocean Service (NOAA/NOS) and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NOAA/NCCOS). As a result of E.O. 13089, Congress created the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative (HCRI), the National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI), the Caribbean Coral Reef Institute (CCRI), and recently the Western Pacific Coral Reef Institute (WPCRI). The interagency task force supported the passage of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 and the creation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP). The CRCP is a multioffice program that uses the diverse expertise across NOAA to help protect important coral reef ecosystems. NOAA’s Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCOR) is a partner in the CRCP and administers the institutes. It is CSCOR’s mission to lead the development of predictive multidisciplinary coastal ecosystem research that explains and predicts the impacts of natural and anthropogenic influences on coastal regional ecosystems, communities, and economies and allows for informed actions. NCRI’s objectives include research and activities dealing with assessment, monitoring, and restoration on coral reefs, coupled with education and training of scientists, managers, and educators. NCRI is devoted to enhancing management effectiveness through research, outreach, education, and conservation through valuable, efficient, and productive programs that ■ identify critical threats to coral reefs that are region specific ■ enhance flexibility in determining priorities and allocating funding ■ focus on and respond to local, regional, and national management needs ■ are subject to rigorous peer review ■ adapt to local socioeconomic, cultural, and management regimes NCRI at Nova Southeastern University 5 NCRI at Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center