Who We Are
The Coral Disease and Health Consortium (CDHC) was created in 2002, in response
to the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force’s (USCRTF) National Action Plan to Conserve Coral
Reefs. Our goal is to provide coastal and ocean managers with scientific understanding
and tools to help protect healthy coral reef ecosystems and restore degraded ones.
The
CDHC
is a network of field and laboratory scientists, coral reef managers, and agency
representatives devoted to understanding coral health and disease. It is extensive,
highly collaborative, and completely voluntary. Currently over 150 partners,
including federal agencies,
EPA,
DOI,
NOAA
along with academia, non-profit and industry, contribute their time and expertise
to the
CDHC, while organizational infrastructure is supported by the congressionally
funded Coral Conservation Program.
The commitment to share information, ideas, and common goals led to the development
of a national research plan (Coral Disease and Health: A National Research Plan)
that has inspired many to seek funding and devote new resources to the study and
amelioration of coral disease.
U.S.
Coral Reef Task Force Resolution 16.6 requested the Coral Disease and Health
Consortium to serve as a Task Force Working Group to organize and coordinate scientific
resources to address coral health and disease issues and link them to coral reef
management (such as Local Action Strategies), with emphasis on diagnostics, etiology,
outbreak investigations, training, and responses. (www.coralreef.gov)
Partners
Some of our partners include (but are not limited to) the following: