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About The Consortium
Coral Disease & Health: The Issue
Diseases and diminishing health condition among corals have dramatically
increased in frequency and distribution over the last decade, leading to unprecedented
decreases in live coral and altering the function and productivity of coral reef
ecosystems.
Responding to this threat requires improved scientific understanding
and tools to:
- detect and assess trends in coral diseases at the necessary scales for scientific
investigation and policy development;
- determine the causes and consequences of increasing disease frequency and distribution;
and
- evaluate possible management responses designed to mitigate the spread and affects
of disease on coral reef ecosystems and their users.
CDHC: The Vision
Our vision is 'to understand and address the effects of natural and anthropogenic
stressors on corals in order to contribute to the preservation and protection of
coral reef ecosystems'
To realize this vision the CDHC
serves to:
- unify the coral health and disease research community
- implement research priorities identified in the National Research Plan
- update and maintain the National Research Plan
- develop tools and methodologies for diagnosis and assessment
- provide an expert knowledge system for use in diagnosis and epizootiology
- provide education and outreach tools to equip a new generation of coral researchers