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Destruction of coral reef habitats

Reefs damaged in 93 of the 110 countries where they are found

Coral reefs, arguably the richest of all the ecosystems in the sea, have been damaged in 93 of the 110 countries in whose waters they are to be found. Some 27 percent of the world's reefs are at high risk of degradation: this figure rises to 80 percent in populous areas.

The damage comes from a wide range of causes, ranging from sedimentation and eutrophication, to ships' anchors and trampling by tourists. They are blasted to make way for ports or navigation, and mined for building materials and lime. Overfishing reefs can profoundly disrupt their ecosystems, while fishing with dynamite and poisons does further damage. Collecting coral for the curio trade has done great harm in some places, but is now increasingly being managed as a sustainable activity.

There is increasing concern about outbreaks of disease. Outbreaks of disease [....], over the last decade, have seriously reduced the number of corals and other key organisms in places, and badly affected the ecology and productivity of reefs. Some of these diseases, presumably, are natural: they have been known since the 1970s, and occur on reefs far from the impact of human activities. Yet there is reason to believe that they are becoming both more frequent and more serious. There is particular concern about corals in the Caribbean and off the Florida Keys.