Policy Innovations to Strengthen Coastal and Marine Habitat Conservation

The Habitat Blueprint affords NOAA an unprecedented opportunity to strategically evaluate NOAA’s habitat-related authorities and policies.  NOAA is looking within and across programs to assess successful policies and to identify areas where doing business differently will improve effectiveness in delivering targeted habitat results.  There are five components of the Blueprint’s policy evaluation, the first two of which will be discussed:

1. Considering opportunities for regulatory reform such as revising or making better use of existing Magnuson-Stevens Act and Endangered Species Act authorities, beginning with a strategic evaluation of the essential fish habitat program and the Endangered Species Act program.   
2. Exploring innovative habitat policies within NOAA and with other agencies to promote ecosystem services, collaborate with other agencies to leverage programs and authorities, and explore potential for increasing private investment in marine and coastal habitats. 
3. Institutionalizing the guiding principles of the Habitat Blueprint through internal policy reform. 
4. Supporting reauthorization of NOAA’s existing authorities for managing coastal and ocean ecosystems and their habitats, such as the Coastal Zone Management Act, National Marine Sanctuaries Act, Coral Reef Conservation Act, and Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act.
5. Investigate developing new NOAA habitat policies and/or legislation to provide strong mandates for habitat conservation to achieve NOAA’s habitat-related outcomes.