July 2012: The World Resources Institute (WRI), together with the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP), have released a reported titled “Reefs at Risk Revisited in the Coral Triangle.” The report was adapted from WRI’s 2011 global analysis of threats to coral reefs, titled “Reefs at Risk Revisited,” supplemented with additional information and data for the Coral Triangle region. The report was released at the 12th International Coral Reef Symposium, taking place from 9-13 July 2012, in Cairns, Australia.

The 86-page report provides a map-based analysis of threats to coral reefs of the Coral Triangle, which includes reefs in the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste. It examines pressures on coral reefs, including overfishing and destructive fishing, coastal development, and pollution from land and sea, as well as projected threats from climate-related ocean warming and acidification.

According to the report, threats to coral reefs in the Coral Triangle are much higher than the global average, with over 85% of reefs within the Coral Triangle currently under threat. The report includes several recommendations, focusing on: reducing threats from local human activities; enhancing reef resilience; developing integrated management systems at ecosystem scales; scaling up international collaboration efforts; supporting climate change efforts; and building consensus on capacity building.

The report will inform the activities of the six governments’ Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF), a multilateral partnership to promote sustainable fishing, improve management of marine protected areas (MPAs), strengthen climate change adaptation, and protect threatened species in the region.

CTSP is a consortium of WWF, The Nature Conservancy, and Conservation International that assists the six Coral Triangle governments in implementing regional and national plans of action. CTSP is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). [Reefs Revisited Summary] [Publication: Reefs at Risk Revisited in the Coral Triangle] [International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) Press Release] [Website of International Coral Reef Symposium 2012]