Florida's Reefs, surrounded by Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), form the only living barrier reef in North America.
Adjacent to the 126 mile stretch of the Florida Keys island chain, the coral reef tract of the Keys is the third most extensive barrier reef in the world and the only living barrier reef in North America. The 2,800 square nautical mile Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) surrounds the entire archipelago of the Florida Keys at the southern most point of the Florida peninsula and includes productive waters of Florida Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Coral reef environments like Floridas Reefs are the marine equivalent of tropical rainforests in that they sustain great biological diversity, and hold enormous ecological and economic value. However, reefs are delicate ecosystems which can easily be harmed by human activity and which are under threat from global climate change. Effective conservation of coral reefs is vital to ensure the future health of coral reefs.
