About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

GAO-24-106692 1 (2024-02-13)

handle is hein.gao/gaopwi0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Why This Matters Coral reefs provide ecological, economic, and social benefits, such as providing habitat for fish, protecting shorelines and marine ecosystems, supporting tourism and fisheries, and serving as a resource for scientific research. The value of these reefs' benefits totals trillions of dollars per year, according to a 2022 report from the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). However, coral reefs face an increasing number of threats, including climate change and warming ocean temperatures, which can cause bleaching (see fig. 1); disease; and damage from boats and tourism. Figure 1: Photos of Healthy Coral Reef Ecosystem (left) and Bleached Coral Reef (right) Sources:, JhnAnderson/helivideostockadohecom. I GAO-24-106692 Key Takeaways The Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), established in 2000, has a mission to protect, conserve, and restore coral reefs by maintaining healthy ecosystem function. To carry out this mission, the program supports research, monitoring, and restoration work by various NOAA program offices and by seven states and U.S. territories with coral reefs. For fiscal years (FY) 2021 through 2023, the CRCP received about $33 million annually in federal appropriations. Congressional committees have raised questions about NOAA's ability to provide expenditure information for the CRCP. The National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2023 includes a provision for us to examine several aspects of the CRCP, including the CRCP's budget and accounting practices.1 This report discusses how the CRCP identifies priorities, develops its budget, tracks obligations and expenditures, and promotes transparency and accountability. * The CRCP tracks its obligations and expenditures in a Department of Commerce financial system. CRCP officials use obligation data but do not typically access or use expenditure data in their management of the program. Page 1 GAO-24-1 06692 Coral Reef Conservation Page 1 GAO-24-106692 Coral Reef Conservation

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most