Coral Reef Initiative for the South Pacific (CRISP)

Coral reefs are critical to the economic development of Pacific Island Countries, in particular through tourism and fisheries. However an estimated 40 % of the Pacific coral reefs are endangered.

A regional initiative for the protection and management of coral reefs in the South Pacific, CRISP, prepared by the French Development Agency (AFD), aims to develop a vision for the future of coral reef eco-systems and the communities that depend on them, and seeks to introduce strategies and projects that conserve biodiversity, while supporting both social and economic development.

This initiative provides financial resources to partners, consolidating their activities in a spirit of regional cooperation. Two ICRAN projects, were incorporated into the framework of the CRISP. The WorldFish Center is leading the development of an information resource for the Pacific which will bring together and organise up-to-date information and data on the status, threats, and management of coral reefs, into a system with useable tools and resources for managers, researchers and reef users.

In parallel, the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), are leading a programme to reverse the degradation of coral reefs and related ecosystems, and are working alongside communities in Pacific Islands for improved livelihoods and sustainable resource use.

This initiative combines research, management and development, and builds on the contributions of different scientific disciplines to approach coral reef conservation in a holistic manner.

Version 1 of Reefbase Pacific has just been launched…

CRISP 2007 consolidated report, first semester

Further information is available from: www.crisponline.net