In partnership with UNDP’s Equator Initiative, ICRAN hosted a workshop on ‘Community Responses to the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Tropical Marine Ecosystems’ at COP9 in Bonn, Germany. Held in the Equator Initiative’s Community Dialogue Space, known as the Dorf, the session sought to provide local stakeholders with the opportunity to exchange their specialised knowledge … Read more
The International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN) is an innovative and dynamic network of many of the world’s leading coral reef science and conservation organisations. The network consolidates technical and scientific expertise in reef monitoring and management to create strategically linked actions across local, national and global scales. ICRAN is thus the first alliance to … Read more
A range of impacts from both, natural and man-made sources threaten coral reefs around the world. Read on to learn about the different threats and how you can help to protect coral reefs. Over-fishing Increasing demand for food fish and tourism curios has resulted in over fishing of not only deep-water commercial fish, but key … Read more
What are Coral Reefs? Why are People Worried about Coral Reefs? Why are Coral Reefs so Important? Why are Coral Reefs Facing Problems? Can Coral Reef Fisheries be Sustainable? What are the Main Pollution Problems? Is Tourism a New Pressure and a New Problem for Coral Reefs? Is Coral Bleaching a Major Problem? What Can … Read more
The East Asian Seas harbour more than a third of the world’s coral reefs and contain the highest coral reef biodiversity in the world. Many of the estimated 1.3 billion people living within a hundred kilometres of the coast are dependant directly and indirectly on reef resources for their day-to-day survival. Coral reefs in the … Read more
The Mesoamerican Reef system stretches over 1000 km, spanning the eastern coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. It is the largest stretch of reef in the western hemisphere and has been identified as a unique and globally important coral reef ecosystem. Unfortunately the Mesoamerican Reef system is under severe natural and human induced threat … Read more
Tourism is the fastest growing industry in the MAR, with diving and coastal tourism as the principal socio-economic drivers in the majority of sites in the region. In response to the demands of increasing numbers of tourists, many destinations experience rapid growth and development of coastal infrastructure and marine recreation activities. Additionally, the region has … Read more
Appropriate land-use practices are critical for the management of watersheds to ensure that the transport of sediment, nutrients and other pollutants to coral reefs is minimised. In the Mesoamerican region, 300,000 hectares of land is allocated to the production of banana, oil palm, sugar cane, citrus, pineapple crops, and mariculture. The residues of chemical products … Read more
Ten years ago, 1997 was declared the International Year of the Reef (IYOR). This was in response to the increasing threats and loss of coral reefs and associated ecosystems, such as mangroves and sea grasses. IYOR was a global effort to increase awareness and understanding on the value of and threats to coral reefs, and … Read more