In addition to Agenda 21, UNCED developed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). CBD is a multilateral, framework treaty with the primary goal being to conserve biological diversity. CBD contains strategies and conservation techniques for nations to implement to protect their biodiversity, such as established marine protected areas (MPAs). The United States is one of four member states of the United Nations that has not ratified the CBD; however, the U.S. Congress has used the ideas and language of the CBD in efforts to protect coral reef systems in the United States’ jurisdiction.
The United States, however, did ratify the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) in 1973. The treaty is an excellent regulatory tool for protecting corals, namely 22 coral species are listed as threatened and three coral species are listed as endangered; it should be noted that CITES fails to include any coral fish or marine mammal species.
The United States has provided some protections for coral reefs through the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Additionally, President Bill Clinton established the United States Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) in 1998 through Executive Order 13089; the task force claims to address threats to coral reefs off the U.S. coast. However, the United States follows a similar approach to the international models discussed above: suggest and provide guidelines, and encourage the spread of information and sustainable development, and rarely enforces treaty provisions. The CWA is heavily enforced, but the Act’s main goal is to prevent dumping of sewage and pollutants in the water, not to protect coral ecosystems. The ESA only protects Florida coral reefs and established marine protected area (MPA) zones, which are often within the route of international cargo ships that can physically damage corals. The United States has not passed a much-needed “Coral Reef Protection Act.”