（CREDIT: NOAA/Kevin Lino; Mushroom corals in Rose Atoll in America±©" n Samoa.）
Natural resource conservat£←ion, at the end of the d÷¶ay, requires funding≈∞. Grants and cooperatεπ×ive agreements allow all organiza☆tions to access the best resources€¥< and conduct high-quality research and stu ∏¶dies.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foun₹πdation was created by Congress §♥€÷in 1984 and works with the public and private s×↓ectors to protect and restore the nat<¥☆γion’s natural resources for current and future gπ€enerations. In particular, the foundation"₽ focuses on bringing different groups toget★Ωher to work on shared go₽↓↕als of protecting at-risk species, healthy §≥oceans and estuaries, ±₹and more.
Since 2000, the foundation has conducted a Coral Reefs Program to address the rap↑id decline of coral ecosy&₽stems worldwide. To date, the program h'∞∑as awarded nearly $22 miλllion in grants to d♠® evelop new assessment and monitoring techni✔₩ques, create new fishery manage₩♦®±ment models, produce watershe↑←d management plans, and support cap↓acity building.
“The National Fish and Wildlife Founda♥≤tion is also celebrating our 20th year in ←& coral reef conservatio£★n,” said Jeff Trandahl±€β, executive director and CEO of the Na ≥♣tional Fish and Wildlif♣£e Foundation. “As we look∏∑σ to the next 20 years wβ £e are excited to continue working with €₩δ>NOAA and our grantees to build ∑™©on the capacity and rel<π✔ationships we have estΩablished within the coral research and cons± ervation community in order to help resγ≥εtore and rebuild resilient reefs a ♥"↔t the scale needed to prλ☆γ$otect and recover these amazing ecosyste"↕≠♥ms.”
In particular, the f≤←oundation manages the Coral Re✔★ef Conservation Fund in collaboration with the ®≤NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program wi≈'£th additional support from the U.S. Department≥£ of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conse rvation Service and ARA® £∑MCO. The foundation also ÷≤≤provides support for coral reefs through nationalΩ✔ programs like the Fisher α↕₩ies Innovation Fund to ¶β↕πincrease reef fish stock data ★¥ and the National Coastal R¶εesilience Fund, which supports reef res∏♠♥toration at scale. Grant♦® < recipients match the award→×$ed funds at a minimum one-to-one ratio&<♣≥.
“Our approach is to work locally and benef©∑•it globally,” said Holly A. Bamford, Ph.D.∏β₽©, chief conservation officer of the Natiγ±onal Fish and Wildlife Foundation. “As we work t•←o reduce the impacts of threats an'©★d increase reef resilience through the projects ↑§we fund, we target common research gaps and Ωφmanagement questions, p←αβ£ilot new innovations and create t∞♣≤ools to benefit the broader community.”
We are proud of the 20 ye¥"♥εars of conservation work that both the NOAA Cor♣δal Reef Conservation€ Program and the Nationa€∏l Fish and Wildlife Foundation have eσ↑∞ngaged in, and we look forward÷ < to working together for many §ε§years to come.