Decree No. 12.486 establishing the National Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Coral Reefs (ProCoral).

This Decree establishes the National Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Coral Reefs (ProCoral). ProCoral aims to implement, guide, articulate, and coordinate public policies for the conservation, sustainable use, and recovery of coral reefs and other natural reef environments in Brazil, to promote the resilience of ecosystems and the maintenance of their ecological functions and benefits to human populations in the face of the pressures to which they are subjected, especially with regard to climate change. For the purposes of this Decree, coral reefs are considered to be the entire ecosystem and its features, including shallow reefs, mesophotic reefs, deep-water corals, and other natural reef environments. The scope of application of this Decree covers the connectivity of coral reefs with other coastal and marine ecosystems, such as mangroves, salt marshes, sandbanks, rocky shores, estuaries, etc.
ProCoral's specific objectives are: ensure the maintenance of biodiversity, ecological functions, and ecosystem services provided by coral reefs, in order to promote their conservation and sustainable use; promote and encourage research and actions that strengthen the adaptive capacity, recovery, and resilience of coral reefs in the face of the impacts of climate change and other anthropogenic pressures, including the adoption of restoration techniques; establish and strengthen ongoing programs for research, diagnosis, and monitoring of coral reefs, to integrate ecological, climatic, and socioeconomic aspects with a view to supporting public policies and management actions; raise awareness in society about the importance of coral reefs and the risks arising from their degradation; and seek adequate financial resources and incentives for the implementation of programs, plans, and policies for the conservation, research, monitoring, management, and restoration of coral reefs.