Corals in Crisis

The world’s coral reefs are rapidly disappearing due to cascades of interacting stresses ranging from global warming, pollution, overfishing and ocean acidification to catastrophic events like the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. One of the world’s most productive, species-rich, and visually spectacular ecosystems is in dramatic and unprecedented global decline,1-5 mandating immediate and informed action. Accidents like the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico capture public attention and bring needed focus to declining marine ecosystems. But the insidious, day-to-day insults from overfishing, elevated CO2, and nutrient pollution may be just as devastating because they are chronic and omnipresent. Reef ecologists are rapidly gaining new insights into the mechanisms driving reef decline and by doing so are discovering additional options for protecting and restoring coral reef ecosystems. Strategic management of fish stock across broader spatial scales may be our best bet for bringing reefs back from the brink ...