Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2000

Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000
The Governments of the UK, through the Department for International Development (DFID),
and Sweden, through the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) have made
major contributions to reef conservation. DFID continues to support monitoring and
conservation activities in South Asia and Sweden, in conjunction with the World Bank, formed
CORDIO (COral Reef Degradation in the Indian Ocean) as a direct response to the massive
bleaching in 1998, and it operates to assess the damage and seek corrective measures for all
countries of the Indian Ocean. The World Bank also supports coral reef projects around the
world worth many millions of dollars. The Global Environment Facility has provided funds for
the Indian Ocean Commission to facilitate monitoring in the southern Indian Ocean over the
next 3 years. France is supporting activities in both the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The volunteer network of reef monitors, Reef Check, continues to expand and has assessed
reefs in 40 countries during 1999. The AGRRA network, operating out of the University of
Miami has undertaken large scale assessment of coral reefs in the Caribbean, and
CARICOMP continues to assess reefs and other coastal systems there and maintains a
database in Jamaica. The global database, ReefBase within ICLARM continues to assemble
data on coral reefs and assist the Reefs at Risk project of the World Resources Institute and
the World Conservation Monitoring Network in the production of regional assessments of
the risks facing coral reefs and an atlas of reefs and resources around the world. The
DIVERSITAS program of UNESCO will have a focus project in 2001, the International
Biodiversity Observation Year, on assessing the impacts of the 1998 bleaching event to
assess the probability of recovery of reef biodiversity.
This is the second global report of the GCRMN. The process for writing this report varies
from the last, in that it is primarily derived from national status reports written by
governments and nationals from 86 countries. The majority of these countries are now
constituted into GCRMN Nodes (regional groupings of countries forming networks for
monitoring, usually with a country with more capacity acting as the coordinator). These
Nodes and other regional groupings combined these national reports into a series of
regional reports that form the chapters that follow. The original national and regional reports
contain the data and other information that form the basis for this report.
STATUS OF CORAL REEFS OF THE WORLD
Arabian Region
Nearshore reefs in the Arabian/Persian Gulf were virtually obliterated by severe coral
bleaching in 1996 and again in 1998, so that most do not have any living corals. These reefs
had survived many years of development of the petroleum industry, yet were virtually
obliterated by a climate induced impact. Offshore reefs were less affected and still have
some healthy corals. Major coral bleaching is now occurring in the Northern Gulf in
September 2000. Red Sea reefs remain predominantly healthy with few localised
anthropogenic stresses although there was some bleaching damage during 1998 to the
reefs in the southern sector. Monitoring and management capacity is low, but is improving
with plans established for regional monitoring and management networks. Coordinated
action is particularly urgent as this region is developing rapidly through growth in tourism
and shipping, especially associated with the petroleum industry. Most countries lack the
capacity or legal structures to manage these developments.
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