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Polyps in Peril | 4:37A short animation, with Céline Cousteau as on-screen narrator, highlights the importance and value of coral reefs, their unique biology, threats to these ecosystems, and what individuals can do to help save coral reefs. |
Take a tour of coral reefs around the world with the World Resources Institute’s Reefs at Risk project and Google Earth. The journey to each of the six coral reef regions provides an overview of the biodiversity of reef ecosystems, their importance to people and local economies, and the types and magnitudes of threats that reefs face, illustrated with vibrant underwater footage of coral reefs and photos of activities that influence reef condition.
The Reefs at Risk project raises awareness of threats to coral reefs and provides information and tools to manage coastal habitats more effectively.
Google Earth Tour of Reefs at Risk Watch the full-length video about the reef ecosystems in all six coral reef regions: Carribean, Middle East, Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific. |
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Introduction | 2:15In this introductory segment, learn about the global status of coral reefs, the benefits that they provide to people all over the world, and the human activities that presently endanger sixty percent of the world’s coral reefs. |
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The Caribbean | 1:58Tour the coral reefs of the Caribbean to discover their biodiversity, importance to island economies, and locations where they are most threatened. Overfishing, coastal development, and pollution currently threaten 75% of Caribbean reefs. |
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The Middle East | 1:39The Persian (Arabian) Gulf and Red Sea each host dramatically different and unique coral reef ecosystems. This video summarizes the distinctive environments within the Middle Eastern seas and surveys where reefs are most threatened – in total, about two-thirds of reefs in this region are at risk from local threats. |
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The Indian Ocean | 1:50The vast Indian Ocean basin includes coral reefs along the continental margins of Africa and Asia, as well as among remote islands and atolls. Nearness to population centers drives many of the threats to coral reefs, with isolated reefs recovering much more rapidly from climate-related damages than those near heavily populated areas. |
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Southeast Asia | 2:08Southeast Asia is home to the most diverse coral reef ecosystems on earth. However, they are also the most threatened. About 95% of Southeast Asia’s reefs are threatened by local activities – especially overfishing and destructive fishing, such as using dynamite and poisons to catch fish. |
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Australia | 1:50The majority of Australia’s coral reefs make up the extensive Great Barrier Reef that lies along the continent’s northeastern shore. Australia’s reefs are the best-protected in the world– with more than 75% inside marine protected areas. However, about 15% of the country’s reefs are still threatened – mainly by runoff from land and marine-based pollution. |
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Pacific | 1:49The Pacific region is characterized by many small, coral-fringed island nations and vast stretches of remote reefs. However, human pressure on reefs continues to grow along with increasing island populations and fishers who travel farther and farther from shore to catch fish. About 50% of the Pacific’s coral reefs are currently threatened by local human activities. |
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Conclusion | 1:27This conclusion to the tour summarizes the present status of coral reefs globally and provides a glimpse of the future for coral reefs– if the threats from local human activities and climate change are not managed and reduced. |
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View French version: Récifs Coralliens en Péril (Revisité) View Spanish version: Arrecifes en Peligro (Reexamen) |
Summary | 4:08A summary of the key findings of Reefs at Risk Revisited, WRI’s map-based analysis of threats to world’s coral reefs. The most immediate threats to many of the world’s coral reefs include those from local human activities. Ocean warming and acidification present growing threats that could cause future impacts to reefs. |