Global decline in capacity of coral reefs to provide ecosystem services

Abstract

Global decline in capacity of coral reefs to provide ecosystem services Highlights d Coral reef habitat, biodiversity, fisheries, effort, and food-web impacts are evaluated d Global coverage of living coral has declined by half since the 1950s d Catch of coral reef associate fishes per unit effort has decreased by 60% since 1950 d Coral reefs' capacity to provide ecosystem services has declined by half since the 1950s

Pocillopora spp. growth analysis on restoration structures in an Eastern Tropical Pacific upwelling area

“…Nevertheless, in the last decades, many reefs around the world have collapsed, and live coral cover has declined due to several factors, such as climate change, acidification and unplanned coastal development ( Hughes et al, 2017 ; El-Naggar, 2020 ; Knowlton et al, 2021 ). The rapid deterioration of these ecosystems threatens the stability of marine environments and human well-being ( Eddy et al, 2021 ).…”

A Review and Categorization of Artificial Intelligence-Based Opportunities in Wildlife, Ocean and Land Conservation

“…These areas face growing risks from eutrophication-that is, excess nutrient loading into coastal environments resulting from human activities Fertilizer run-off, livestock waste, sewage discharge, aquaculture and atmospheric nitrogen emissions are the main drivers of eutrophication [19]. Coral reefs are increasingly at a risk of collapse due to global heating and overfishing, resulting in a loss of coastal protection from sea-level rise, and impacts on tourism and fisheries [22]. Living coral has declined by half globally since the 1950s, resulting in some 60 percent of coral-reef-associated biodiversity [22].…”

“…Coral reefs are increasingly at a risk of collapse due to global heating and overfishing, resulting in a loss of coastal protection from sea-level rise, and impacts on tourism and fisheries [22]. Living coral has declined by half globally since the 1950s, resulting in some 60 percent of coral-reef-associated biodiversity [22]. Over half of marine key biodiversity areas are not protected.…”

Coral reef benthic community changes in the Anthropocene: Biogeographic heterogeneity, overlooked configurations, and methodology

“…Furthermore, we show for the first time that soft-coral dominated reefs were the most abundant alternative community in different biogeographic regions, including the hotspot of marine biodiversity (Central Indo-Pacific province). This finding is particularly important, since knowledge on how soft-coral dominated reefs function and what services they provide is extremely limited, and local communities in many of these areas are amongst the most dependent on coral reef ecosystem services such as coral reef fisheries (Eddy et al, 2021).…”