Introduction
Introduction
Coral
reefs are one of the world's most spectacular
ecosystems. They straddle the tropics and cut a
broad swathe around the globe. They are clearly
visible, even from space, as patterns of dazzling colors
tracing the edges of coastlines and scattering far out
into the oceans. Up close, the magic of coral reefs is
magnified. These ecosystems are packed with the highest
densities of animals to be found anywhere on the planet.
Thronging with life, they rival even the tropical rainforests
in terms of diversity.
From a human perspective coral reefs are not only a
source of wonder and fascination. They also represent a
critical resource for millions of people. For millennia
coastal peoples have relied on coral reefs as a source of
food. The wide strips of coral reefs lining their shores
have also provided protection from the worst onslaughts
of tropical storms. Over the centuries, these same reefs
have actually provided the sand for the beaches and even
the rocks which make up the islands on which so many
people live. In more recent times coral reefs have become
the treasured destination for millions who have sought
peace and rest on tropical shores, or adventure, diving into
the world of the coral reef These same travelers are
providing a new source of income and employment for
some of the world's most impoverished nations. Into the
future, reefs have the capability to provide new resources
for the world's burgeoning populations, most notably with
the development of new pharmaceuticals.
How little we know
It is possible, even today, to pick up the best navigational
charts for certain areas and find quite shocking gaps in
our knowledge. For some parts of the world, the best
information about the location and dimensions of coral
reefs was gathered by Captain James Cook and others in
the 1 8th century. On some of these "modern" charts there
remain dotted lines showing "possible" locations of reefs,
or notes describing reefs as "position unconfirmed".
While sea monsters no longer populate our maps, many of
the gaps where they once sat still remain.
This lack of knowledge is not simply confined to
knowing where the reefs are. Efforts to quantify the total
numbers of species which are found on reefs remain
largely restricted to wild extrapolations and educated
guesses. As many as 100 000 species may have been
named and described from coral reefs, but the total number inhabiting the world's reefs may be anything between
half and 2 million, perhaps more.
In some ways this lack of knowledge is not
surprising. Many reefs are remote and, as they are far from
regular shipping traffic, efforts to map these areas have
not been prioritized. Without good charts other navigators
remain cautious about sailing in such areas. From an
ecological perspective our knowledge has been further
hampered by the fact that humans are terrestrial, airbreathing creatures. Early scientists could only peer down
with fascination through the intervening waters which
separated them from the reefs, or haul up dead or dying
samples for inspection. Only in the 1950s did scubadiving become a popular and relatively safe activity, and
our scientific knowledge of the ecology of reefs has
almost entirely been amassed over the last 50 years.
The World Atlas of Coral Reefs
This atlas presents a unique compendium of information.
It provides a summary of what we know about the geographic distribution and status of coral reefs at the start of
the third millennium. Unfortunately, even as we have
begun to gather this information, the reefs themselves
have been changing. The atlas also provides information
on the changes which have already occurred, and on the
human impacts on the coral reefs in every country.
This atlas is primarily an information resource.
Putting such information together at the global level is
more than a summary, however, and provides us with an
entirely new perspective.
The first three chapters provide a global review of the
coral reefs, firstly taking an ecological and geological
perspective, then a human perspective, and finally looking
more specifically at the task of mapping coral reefs. The
main bulk of the book is then focussed towards a regionby-region review of coral reefs.
The most important resource in any atlas is the maps
themselves. The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring
Centre first commenced its global coral reef mapping
work in 1994 and has now developed the most detailed
global maps of coral reefs in existence. These maps show
the distribution of the vast majority of the world's shallow
coral reefs. Equally important with the maps in this atlas
has been to place the location of coral reefs in a wider
Introduction
Coral
reefs are one of the world's most spectacular
ecosystems. They straddle the tropics and cut a
broad swathe around the globe. They are clearly
visible, even from space, as patterns of dazzling colors
tracing the edges of coastlines and scattering far out
into the oceans. Up close, the magic of coral reefs is
magnified. These ecosystems are packed with the highest
densities of animals to be found anywhere on the planet.
Thronging with life, they rival even the tropical rainforests
in terms of diversity.
From a human perspective coral reefs are not only a
source of wonder and fascination. They also represent a
critical resource for millions of people. For millennia
coastal peoples have relied on coral reefs as a source of
food. The wide strips of coral reefs lining their shores
have also provided protection from the worst onslaughts
of tropical storms. Over the centuries, these same reefs
have actually provided the sand for the beaches and even
the rocks which make up the islands on which so many
people live. In more recent times coral reefs have become
the treasured destination for millions who have sought
peace and rest on tropical shores, or adventure, diving into
the world of the coral reef These same travelers are
providing a new source of income and employment for
some of the world's most impoverished nations. Into the
future, reefs have the capability to provide new resources
for the world's burgeoning populations, most notably with
the development of new pharmaceuticals.
How little we know
It is possible, even today, to pick up the best navigational
charts for certain areas and find quite shocking gaps in
our knowledge. For some parts of the world, the best
information about the location and dimensions of coral
reefs was gathered by Captain James Cook and others in
the 1 8th century. On some of these "modern" charts there
remain dotted lines showing "possible" locations of reefs,
or notes describing reefs as "position unconfirmed".
While sea monsters no longer populate our maps, many of
the gaps where they once sat still remain.
This lack of knowledge is not simply confined to
knowing where the reefs are. Efforts to quantify the total
numbers of species which are found on reefs remain
largely restricted to wild extrapolations and educated
guesses. As many as 100 000 species may have been
named and described from coral reefs, but the total number inhabiting the world's reefs may be anything between
half and 2 million, perhaps more.
In some ways this lack of knowledge is not
surprising. Many reefs are remote and, as they are far from
regular shipping traffic, efforts to map these areas have
not been prioritized. Without good charts other navigators
remain cautious about sailing in such areas. From an
ecological perspective our knowledge has been further
hampered by the fact that humans are terrestrial, airbreathing creatures. Early scientists could only peer down
with fascination through the intervening waters which
separated them from the reefs, or haul up dead or dying
samples for inspection. Only in the 1950s did scubadiving become a popular and relatively safe activity, and
our scientific knowledge of the ecology of reefs has
almost entirely been amassed over the last 50 years.
The World Atlas of Coral Reefs
This atlas presents a unique compendium of information.
It provides a summary of what we know about the geographic distribution and status of coral reefs at the start of
the third millennium. Unfortunately, even as we have
begun to gather this information, the reefs themselves
have been changing. The atlas also provides information
on the changes which have already occurred, and on the
human impacts on the coral reefs in every country.
This atlas is primarily an information resource.
Putting such information together at the global level is
more than a summary, however, and provides us with an
entirely new perspective.
The first three chapters provide a global review of the
coral reefs, firstly taking an ecological and geological
perspective, then a human perspective, and finally looking
more specifically at the task of mapping coral reefs. The
main bulk of the book is then focussed towards a regionby-region review of coral reefs.
The most important resource in any atlas is the maps
themselves. The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring
Centre first commenced its global coral reef mapping
work in 1994 and has now developed the most detailed
global maps of coral reefs in existence. These maps show
the distribution of the vast majority of the world's shallow
coral reefs. Equally important with the maps in this atlas
has been to place the location of coral reefs in a wider