Improving coastal resource management and coral reef protection by providing comprehensive information on threats to coral reefs, value of the goods and services provided by these ecosystems, and economic losses that will result from their degradation.
| CONTACTS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lauretta Burke | 1 202-729-7774 | lauretta@wri.org |
The primary goals of the Reefs at Risk in the Caribbean project are to raise awareness among coastal managers, governments and other relevant decision makers about threats to coral reefs and to make available a comprehensive, high quality base of information on the region’s coral reefs, as an aid to more effective decision making on their use and management. In collaboration with regional partners, WRI will implement an analysis linking human activities and reef condition. Key elements of the project include a watershed-based analysis of threats to coral reefs from land cover change and agricultural activities and an economic valuation of the key goods and services derived from coral reefs.
Problem Statement
Effective management of Caribbean reefs is hampered by the lack of relevant information on both the impacts of human activity as well as the value of the goods and services provided. The majority of the Caribbean’s coral reefs have not been surveyed or consistently monitored over time. In addition, much of the monitoring data has not been compiled or made publicly available. Although information from both scientific and volunteer surveys is increasing, this information is typically not well integrated with information on human activities that have the potential to contribute to the degradation of coral reefs. Development of an integrated data base of information is the first step toward being able to identify the causes of reef degradation. It will also inform decisions by business, NGO’s and governments on how reefs are used, managed and governed in order for them to continue to provide a range of valued goods and services.
Project Goals
To address this information need, Reefs at Risk in the Caribbean has five primary components:
Resources
Financial Support