Here is what scientists are doing to save Florida's coral reef before it's too late

Kevin Davenport, an aquarist and coral Biologist, feeds krill to growing corals in a warehouse in Florida.

Zack Wittman for NPR

A sophisticated lighting system is set on a timer to mimic the sun and moon cycles of Key West, which is 300 miles away.

This is a key part of the strategy to help the survival of the only barrier reef in the continental U.S.

The reef is an important part of the environment. It is the third- largest barrier reef in the world and spans more than 350 miles off the Florida coast. Billions of dollars in economic benefit are provided by it being a tourist attraction and protecting the coast from storm surge.

The supervisor for the Florida Coral Rescue Center is a person from the theme park.

Zack Wittman for NPR

Climate change, human activity and development have led to the loss of most of the coral that used to cover the reefs. The loss of corals has spurred scientists, activists and government officials to come up with a plan for their long term survival.

A Noah's Ark for coral

Hundreds of corals from 18 different species were collected in the Florida Keys and brought to the Florida Coral Rescue Center for safe keeping. The corals have flourished and begun reproducing.

After a full moon is mimicked by the lighting system, most corals start to grow.

The supervisor says his staff watches the corals when that happens. Eggs and sperm float to the top because of their density. The baby corals will be settled after they develop on little tiles.

The genetic diversity of species is increasing because of the baby corals. Three years ago, the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida and Disney collaborated to open this facility.

A multitude of threats

The most recent threat to the reef has been stony coral tissue loss disease. He says that the event probably killed more coral than any other event has. It affects the big boulder corals that grow slowly and that's more important in terms of building the framework for the other corals to live on.

The hope is that the disease has peaked and will abate. Many vibrant, colorful reefs are largely gray and lifeless as a result of the damage it has done.

Florida's coral reefs have declined dramatically since the 1960's and 70's, according to scientists and divers. There isn't a single smoking gun to blame for the destruction. Local stresses include damage to reefs by boat anchor or irresponsible divers. Poor water quality is one of the issues in the region. Climate change and the global stressor are what he refers to. If we don't address it, it could be responsible for the demise of the reef.

At the Florida Coral Rescue Center, saltwater tanks are used to grow corals.

Zack Wittman for NPR

Corals are more susceptible to disease when the oceans warm. Ocean acidification is caused by the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Critical action

A broad coalition of activists, scientists and government officials have come together to fight the decline of the barrier reef.

The only reefs like it in the continental United States are in the Florida Keys. There is no spare Florida reef system. We need to do something.

Several of the best known coral reefs in the Florida Keys have been restored over the past three years. Environmental groups, research institutions and government agencies are involved in the effort. The adoption of a new set of regulations is being pushed by the man.

She says that the measures are critical. It will not be possible to restore the reefs to the way they were before. She says that those conditions are no longer present. We need to give our corals a chance to thrive in the current environment.

A sense of optimism

There is a sense of optimism among those involved in restoring the coral reefs. The Coral Restoration Foundation is based in the Florida Keys and is trying to show that it is possible to restore declining reefs. The group uses underwater nurseries to grow coral. New corals are put on established reefs when they're big enough. More than one hundred thousand corals have been planted.

In Key Largo, Mary Doerr was one of several volunteer divers who recently returned corals from a day's work. It was great to see the regrowth of coral, but the reef is not in good shape. She says that it does not have the richness and diversity of fish that a healthy reef has.

The coral came back to Carysfort Reef.

Alexander Neufeld/Coral Restoration Foundation

Scott Winters, the CEO of the Coral Restoration Foundation, said that his staff developed a plan to rebuild the Carysfort Reef. There has been more coral on Carysfort in the last 15 years. He says that "almost everything you see on Carysfort Reef now is a direct result of us putting corals back out there." They're flourishing and reproducing.

Winters wants to bring the coral populations back to a point where they can rebuild the reefs on their own. If corals are kept healthy and thriving, scientists hope that they will be able to grow and adapt to long-term threats.