Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2000

FOREWORD
Over the past few years, I have become increasingly concerned about the continued
degradation of coral reefs, some of the most valuable and spectacular places on earth.
Coral reefs are important to us in so many ways. They provide food and livelihoods for
millions of people; they help protect coastal communities from tropical storms; and they
support rich communities of marine life that rival even rainforests in their biological
diversity. These ‘rainforests of the sea’ have already begun to provide new medicines and
other compounds to combat diseases and solve other human needs. And we’ve just
begun to explore the rich life of our coral reefs.
Today, millions of people visit coral reef ecosystems every year to experience the beauty
and bounty of healthy coral reefs. In the United States alone, coral reefs support millions of
jobs and billions of dollars from tourism related activities. These are just a few of the
reasons why coral reefs are so valuable, and why it is so important for us to protect the
world’s vulnerable coral reefs.
In 1997 and 1998, coral reefs began bleaching and dying across huge regions of the world
in association with changes in ocean and climate conditions. In many areas, coral reef
ecosystems were devastated, along with the human communities that depended on them.
The impacts were on a global scale never before recorded. Scientists now believe that
coral reefs may be the first natural ecosystem to clearly show the potential impacts of
global climate change.
The struggle to conserve the coral reefs is now at a critical stage. While changes in climate
conditions may continue to impact coral reefs for some time, coral reefs are losing an even
greater battle with water and air pollution, sediment runoff caused by deforestation and
coastal development, and over-exploitation, including the insidious practices of dynamite
and cyanide fishing. In many areas, the living coral reefs may soon be gone. If coral reefs
are lost, many coastal populations will lose their primary source of food, jobs, cultural
heritage and long-term prosperity.
To conserve these natural treasures, we must reduce human impacts on coral reefs by
immediately controlling pollution, reducing over-fishing and increasing protection and
sustainable use of our valuable coral reef resources. By working together – from local
communities to regions and internationally – I believe we can, and must, reverse the tide of
destruction and conserve the world’s precious coral reefs.
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