Photo by: Christopher Boykin

FDEP CRCP Manager, Chantal Collier, briefing Broward County Commissioners and aides on the economic and biological importance of Florida's coral reefs.

Photo by: Ivy Kelly, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Coral reef conservationists at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Ft. Lauderdale, July 2008.

Photo by: Meredith Gibboney

Land Based Sources of Pollution Technical Advisory Committee Members.

  • FDEP CRCP Manager, Chantal Collier, briefing Broward County Commissioners and aides on the economic and biological importance of Florida's coral reefs
  • Coral reef conservationists at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Ft. Lauderdale, July 2008
  • Land Based Sources of Pollution Technical Advisory Committee Members.
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What is SEFCRI?

The Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) is a local action strategy for collaborative action among government and non-governmental partners to identify and implement priority actions needed to reduce key threats to coral reef resources in southeast Florida. The targeted area includes Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties.

The SEFCRI and the production of this website were funded in part by a Coral Reef Conservation Program grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, and by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) through its Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP).

The FDEP CRCP coordinates research, monitoring, and response to coral reef injuries, develops management strategies, and promotes partnerships and stakeholder participation to advance protection of Florida’s reefs. Through its role in supporting Florida’s membership on the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, and the U.S. All Islands Committee, the FDEP CRCP leads the implementation of the SEFCRI.

Vision: "To develop an effective strategy to preserve and protect southeast Florida's coral reefs and associated reef resources, emphasizing the balance between resource use and protection, in cooperation with all interested parties."

History of SEFCRI

The process that created the SEFCRI began in 1998, when President Clinton signed an Executive Order establishing the United States Coral Reef Task Force. The Task Force was established to lead U.S. government efforts to preserve and protect coral reefs. Florida contains a large portion of the U.S. coral reef ecosystems. The state of Florida recognizes the importance of the Executive Order and the need to protect and preserve the biodiversity, health, heritage, and social and economic values of our reefs and the marine environment. With guidance from the Task Force, the state formed the SEFCRI Team: a group of marine resource professionals, scientists and stakeholders from government agencies and other organizations. The SEFCRI Team first gathered in May of 2003 to develop local action strategies needed to protect the coral reef resources extending from Miami-Dade County, through Broward and Palm Beach Counties to Martin County.

© 2012 Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative.