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Reefs at Risk Revisited

Lauretta Burke, Katie Reytar, Mark Spalding, and Allison Perry
February, 2011
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This report provides a detailed assessment of the status of and threats to the world’s coral reefs. It evaluates threats to coral reefs from a wide range of human activities, and includes an assessment of climate-related threats to reefs. It also contains a global assessment of the vulnerability of nations and territories to coral reef degradation. Read more

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Report

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Licensed under Creative Commons (more info).
View a Google map of Reefs at Risk

Summary: Reefs at Risk Revisited

Under the Reefs at Risk Revisited project, WRI and its partners have developed a new, detailed assessment of the status of and threats to the world’s coral reefs. This information is intended to raise awareness about the location and severity of threats to coral reefs. These results can also catalyze opportunities for changes in policy and practice that could safeguard coral reefs and the benefits they provide to people for future generations.



View French version: Récifs Coralliens en Péril (Revisité )
View Spanish version: Arrecifes en Peligro (Reexamen)

Reefs at Risk Revisited is a high-resolution update of the original global analysis, Reefs at Risk: A Map-Based Indicator of Threats to the World’s Coral Reefs. Reefs at Risk Revisited uses a global map of coral reefs at 500-m resolution, which is 64 times more detailed than the 4-km resolution map used in the 1998 analysis, and benefits from improvements in many global data sets used to evaluate threats to reefs (most threat data are at 1 km resolution, which is 16 times more detailed than those used in the 1998 analysis).

Like the original Reefs at Risk, this study evaluates threats to coral reefs from a wide range of human activities. For the first time, it also includes an assessment of climate-related threats to reefs. In addition, Reefs at Risk Revisited includes a global assessment of the vulnerability of nations and territories to coral reef degradation, based on their dependence on coral reefs and their capacity to adapt.

WRI led the Reefs at Risk Revisited analysis in collaboration with a broad partnership of more than 25 research, conservation, and educational organizations. Partners have provided data, offered guidance on the analytical approach, contributed to the report, and served as critical reviewers of the maps and findings.

Selected Media

Data & Resources DVD

A DVD companion to the Reefs at Risk Revisited report is available upon request. To order a copy, please email reefsatrisk@wri.org, and include a brief description of how you plan to apply the data. The DVD contains:

  • A comprehensive set of GIS data (raw input data and model results);
  • KML files (for viewing on Google Earth);
  • PDF of the Reefs at Risk Revisited report;
  • Technical notes;
  • A complete set of maps in jpeg format;
  • Summary video; and
  • Links to additional resources.

GIS Data Sets

  • Base Data: Data (ZIP archive, 150.8 Mb) | Meta Data (Excel, 17 Kb)
  • Global Threats: Data (ZIP archive, 97.9 Mb) | Meta Data (Excel, 15 Kb)
  • Local Threats: Data (ZIP archive, 206.7 Mb) | Meta Data (Excel, 15 Kb)
  • Local Threats (Vector Only): Data (ZIP archive, 74.0 Mb) | Meta Data (Excel, 13 Kb)

KML Files

Use these files in Google Earth and other map applications that support KML.

Fact Sheets

Video

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