Funds Worth $4 Million Allocated for Fresh Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Renovation Initiatives
NOAA Announces $4 Million in Funding for Coastal Habitat Restoration Projects
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the availability of up to $4 million in funding for new coastal and marine habitat restoration projects in 2020. This funding is part of the NOAA Fiscal Year 2020 Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants, a programme aimed at supporting activities that restore, protect, and enhance habitats critical to living marine resources.
Since 1996, the Community-based Restoration Program has provided over $196 million for more than 2,150 coastal habitat restoration projects. This programme will continue funding 19 projects selected in 2019, as part of its commitment to improving coastal and marine ecosystems.
The purpose of the Fiscal Year 2020 funding opportunity is to fund habitat restoration projects that improve coastal and marine ecosystems, often emphasizing restoration of native species populations and connectivity of habitats. Projects typically involve on-the-ground restoration efforts such as removing barriers to fish passage, restoring wetlands and salt marshes, and supporting living shorelines that protect against erosion while enhancing ecosystem services.
Successful projects are expected to bring long-term ecological improvements for NOAA trust resources, increased fisheries production, enhanced resilience of coastal habitats against threats like erosion and sea level rise, and socio-economic benefits including community engagement, education, and volunteerism.
Grantees for the funding opportunity are often state, local, tribal, territorial governments, nonprofit organisations, and academic institutions. Competitive grants and cooperative agreements are issued to selected projects based on their ecological significance, feasibility, and community involvement.
The exact application details such as deadline, award amounts, and application procedures for FY 2020 are not provided explicitly, but NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management typically publishes these details on SAM.gov and NOAA’s Fisheries web pages.
In Puerto Rico, the deadline for pre-proposal submissions for coastal and marine habitat restoration projects has been extended to 11:59 PM Eastern time on January 10, 2020. Selected projects will support protected resources and sustainable fisheries, as well as provide community and economic benefits, such as increased coastal resilience and recreational opportunities.
The Community-based Restoration Program has opened 4,070 stream miles for fish passage and more than 2,900 organisations have partnered with the programme to restore over 90,000 acres of habitat for fish. Past projects have restored habitat for threatened and endangered species, such as Atlantic salmon, and have been involved in restoration following significant events like oil spills.
This funding opportunity supports NOAA’s broader mission of marine resource conservation and resilience by restoring and enhancing coastal and marine habitats through ecological and community-oriented efforts.
- The NOAA Fiscal Year 2020 Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants aim to fund projects that protect, restore, and enhance habitats critical to endangered species, such as the Atlantic salmon, and support the broader mission of marine resource conservation and resilience.
- In addition to ecological improvements for NOAA trust resources and increased fisheries production, projects often focus on habitat restoration that promotes health-and-wellness, like creating living shorelines that protect against erosion and support environmental-science principles.
- Successful projects not only improve the quality of coastal and marine ecosystems but also bring socio-economic benefits, such as community engagement, education, and volunteerism, as well as providing protection for critical resources like protected species and their habitats.
