Coral reefs, along with seagrass beds, mangrove habitats and other tropical marine environments, support the highest marine biodiversity in the world. More than 500 million people worldwide depend on them for food, storm protection, jobs, and recreation. Their resources and services are worth an estimated 375 billion dollars each year, yet they cover less than 1% of the Earth’s surface.
Corals in decline
As the diagram below shows, corals are in severe decline. IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme is involved in on the ground efforts to help reverse this decline. Go to projects to read more.
The IUCN Red List Index
The IUCN Red List Index The IUCN Red List Index reveals trends in the overall extinction risk of species. A decreasing value means the expected rate of extinction is increasing (i.e. the rate of biodiversity loss is increasing). This diagram shows the expected rate of extinction for several taxa with corals showing the highest loss in biodiversity.
Read more
| What is a coral reef | Description of the coral and its symbiotic algae | PDF Document 64KB |
