Integrated coastal zone management of coral reefs : decision support modeling.

Abstract

Coral reef ecosystems are under increasing pressure, the threats being primarily from human activities. In some cases, natural disturbances further compound the effects of anthropogenic stress. The declining state of coral reef ecosystems has sparked concern by scientists, managers and government officials. The 1991 National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sponsored workshop on coral bleaching, coral reef ecosystems|and global climate change (D'Elia etal. 1991), the Seventh International Coral Reef Symposium in 1992 (Richmond 1993), and the meeting of experts on "Global Aspects of Coral Reefs: Health, Hazards and History" held at the Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Miami (Ginsburg 1994) all stressed these concerns. The IUCN (1993) estimated that about 10% of tropical coral reefs have already been degraded beyond recovery and another 30% are likely to decline significantly within the next 20 years. An International Coral Reef Initiative report (Jameson et al. 1995) stressed that unless effective integrated coastal zone management is implemented, more than two-thirds of the world's coral reefs may become seriously depleted of corals and associated biota within two generations.