Healthy coral reefs are some of the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on the planet. Nearly a billion people live near coral reefs, with many relying on reefs for food, coastal protection from storms and erosion, and income from fishing, recreation, and tourism*. At a global scale, coral reefs have enormous intrinsic value as the ocean's richest biodiversity hotspot. In addition, coral reef biodiversity is increasingly becoming a primary source for the biological compounds used to develop new medicines. Yet coral reefs also represent one of the most imperiled biomes on the planet. An estimated 60 percent of the world's reefs are under immediate and direct threat from local activi... read more Healthy coral reefs are some of the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on the planet. Nearly a billion people live near coral reefs, with many relying on reefs for food, coastal protection from storms and erosion, and income from fishing, recreation, and tourism*. At a global scale, coral reefs have enormous intrinsic value as the ocean's richest biodiversity hotspot. In addition, coral reef biodiversity is increasingly becoming a primary source for the biological compounds used to develop new medicines. Yet coral reefs also represent one of the most imperiled biomes on the planet. An estimated 60 percent of the world's reefs are under immediate and direct threat from local activities such as overfishing, coastal development, or nutrient run-off, and all indications are that growing human populations and climate change will exacerbate this problem*. Thus, one of the greatest conservation challenges of our time is to rethink and restructure the relationship between humans and coral reefs to ensure that the long-term interests of people are aligned with maintaining healthy reefs. The mission of the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) is to unite communities to save coral reefs. Our focus is on revising the incentive structures of local communities so that reef degradation is not an external by-product of day-to-day life; rather, maintaining reef health is prioritized because it is essential to economic and cultural interests. Currently, our main efforts are focused on communities and reefs in five countries-Fiji, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States-Hawaii-with special projects that allow us to work in more than fifteen additional countries. We see abundant opportunities to expand our work further, but we must first overcome resource constraints.
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