Last month WRI (World Resources Institute) released its report on threats to coral reefs, Reefs at Risk Revisited, a three-year study that resulted in the greatest-detailed global maps to date. The maps were produced in partnership with the Google Earth Outreach Development Grant and are meant to protect critical areas through mapping. Besides the report, maps, and data set, WRI created an awareness video that provides a tour of all of the world’s major coral reefs.

 

Interesting facts from the video include:

• there are 6 coral regions of the world: Caribbean, Red Sea/Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, Australia/Great Barrier Reef, and the Pacific
• a quarter of life forms in the ocean live in coral reefs, which are less than 1000th of the ocean’s total area
• more than 250 million people live near coral reefs
• coral reefs are at risk because of unmanaged coastal development, deforestation, soil erosion, nutrient and fertilizer runoff, overfishing, and rising water temperatures
• human actions have put 60% of coral reefs at risk