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What is the AIC? | Vision & Mission | Points of Contacts
Secretariat | Partners

Download: AIC Informational Handout (PDF)

 


WHAT IS THE AIC?

Formed in 1996, the U.S. All Islands Coral Reef Committee (AIC) represents the combined voice of the coral reef jurisdictions of the U.S. and Freely Associated States.

The AIC member jurisdictions are American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Florida, Guam, Hawai’i, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. AIC affiliate members are the three Pacific Freely Associated States: the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau.

The AIC prioritizes collaborative efforts that maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of coral reef management while seeking to address three broad challenges:

  1. Limited coral reef management capacity within local governments;
  2. A need for adequate and sustained funding for coral reef management efforts in the U.S. and FAS; and,
  3. Improved integration of jurisdictional needs into federal policies, plans, and decision making.

The AIC aims to represent jurisdictional coral reef management issues and priorities within the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) while constructively engaging in federal and national processes related to coral reef conservation. The AIC, as a group, is not directly involved in local coral reef management decisions, although it can support the development of national policies and/or actions that impact local management and serve as an advisory body to the USCRTF on jurisdictional coral reef issues.

The AIC provides leadership and coordination of strategic initiatives to strengthen the conservation of coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. and is guided by its Charter, Communications Plan, and Strategic Action Plan. For more on the history of the AIC, click here.
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VISION
Thriving coral reef ecosystems, effectively managed to protect their ecological, social, and economic value for present and future generations.

MISSION
To be a unified voice for the effective management of coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. and Freely Associated States.

For the AIC’s Strategic Plan, click here.
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POINTS OF CONTACT – Member Contact Information

The seven Governor-appointed voting members and three non-voting affiliate FAS members in the AIC serve as the Coral Reef Points of Contact (POCs) for each jurisdiction. Most POCs hold management or administrative positions within their state or territory’s lead coral reef management agency. The AIC operates via consensus-based decision-making, and every two years, the AIC elects two POCs to serve as AIC Chair and Vice-chair.

Affiliate members

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AIC SECRETARIAT

The AIC Secretariat was established in 2002 to provide policy support and coordination for the AIC’s participation in the USCRTF. The AIC Secretariat is made up of a full-time Executive Director and two Advisors. The Executive Director, who is jointly funded by the AIC jurisdictions and NOAA CRCP, provides administrative, logistical, and policy support for the AIC. Two AIC Advisors provide guidance and expertise in coral reef science, resource management, and policy issues, to the AIC members, affiliates, and the Secretariat Executive Director. 

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PARTNERS

The AIC works closely with the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP); the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Insular Affairs (OIA), and other federal agency members of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF). 

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