The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Our marshes, reefs, mangroves, and seagrass meadows are important to the health of the nature and people that live in or around them: many species use these systems as nurseries; bivalves clean and filter the water; grasses trap sediment; and marshes buffer the mainland from coastal storms. But the increasing pressure on our oceans and coasts has caused breakdowns of many of these processes.

Turning Partnerships Into Lasting Results

Since 2001, The Nature Conservancy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have partnered to restore the health of degraded habitats in ways that benefit marine life, local communities and coastal economies.

Through this partnership, the Conservancy has supported nearly 100 restoration projects across our coastal states that have helped protect coastal and marine habitat, restore species important to healthy ecosystem function, remove invasive species, create shellfish spawning sanctuaries and re-establish water flows to estuaries. In addition, our partnership expanded in 2009 when eight Conservancy projects were awarded funding through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. We are also partnering with NOAA to advance coral reef restoration efforts in seven United States coral reef jurisdictions.

Where We Work Through Partnerships

• Staghorn Coral Restoration, Florida
• Reef Restoration, Hawaii
• Netarts Bay Oyster Restoration, Oregon
• Chesapeake Bay, Virginia
• Smith Island, Virginia
• Puget Sound, Washington
• Port Susan Bay, Washington
• Indian River Lagoon, Florida
• Great South Bay, New York
• Peconic Bay, New York
• Grande Isle, Louisiana
• Taunton, Massachusetts
• Wellfleet Bay, Massachusetts
• Colter Creek, Alaska