SPREP Training Course on Coral Reef Survey and Monitoring Techniques held on 6-17 November 1995 in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Abstract

Coral reefs are one of the most productive and biologically diverse of all marine ecosystems. They are a valuable resource for tropical coastal communities providing social and cultural benefits as well as substantial commercial benefits through industries such as fisheries, tourism and recreation. The importance of coral reefs is recognised by IUCN in their World Conservation Strategy (1980) in which reefs are identified as one of the essential ecological processes and life support systems necessary for human survival and sustainable development.