The coral reefs of the Caribbean, a mainstay of the region's economic and social health, are beset by a wide range of threats resulting from human activities. Degradation of coral reefs damages not only the integrity of these important ecosystems but also the health, safety, and livelihoods of the human societies that depend on them. Although the potential human and economic losses are great, actions to reverse the threats to Caribbean coral reefs can often be undertaken at very low cost, with very high financial and societal returns, even in the short term.

Actions are required across a range of scales—from local to national and international. Such actions include the establishment of better management practices—to place fisheries on a more sustainable basis and to improve yields, to protect reefs from direct damage, and to integrate the sometimes conflicting approaches to management in the watersheds and adjacent waters around coral reefs. Fundamental to supporting these actions is wider involvement of the public and stakeholders in management processes, as well as an improved level of understanding of the importance of coral reefs. Better understanding of the economic value of coastal ecosystems, and of the linkages between human activities and changes in coral reef condition, will further support and underpin the necessary changes in management and will strengthen political and societal support for these changes.

To these ends, we recommend the following specific actions: