The Global Net Benefit of Coral Reefs
The new booklet—Economic Values of Coral Reefs, Mangroves, and Seagrasses: A Global Compilation 2008—by Conservation International in partnership with the Coastal Ocean Values Center, World Resources Institute, NOAA, and the International Coral Reef Initiative compiles the results of a wide variety of economic valuation studies on coral reef and related ecosystems around the world.
The global net benefit of the world's coral reefs is: $29.8 billion
This figure is broken down among four categories: tourism, fisheries, coastal protection, and biodiversity. Here's how the numbers play out.
Tourism: People the world over visit coral reefs to enjoy the recreational opportunities that these ecosystems provide, including scuba diving, snorkeling, and glass bottom–boat viewing. Global net benefit: $9.6 billion
Fisheries: Coral reefs and their surrounding ecosystems, including mangroves and seagrass beds, provide important fish habitat. Global net benefit: $5.7 billion
Coastal Protection: Coral reefs serve as natural barriers to storm surges that can cause great destruction to coastlines and communities. Global net benefit: $9.0 billion
Biodiversity: The United Nations' Atlas of the Oceans describes coral reefs as among the most biologically rich ecosystems on Earth, with about 4,000 species of fish and 800 species of reef-building corals described to date. Global net benefit: $5.5 billion
The global costs of coral bleaching are: $20 billion (moderate bleaching scenario) to more than $84 billion (severe bleaching scenario) in losses
This breaks down among the following categories:
Tourism: $10 billion to nearly $40 billion losses
Fisheries: $7 billion to $23 billion losses
Biodiversity: $6 billion to $22 billion losses
The data presented in this booklet are available to view in an online global map at www.consvalmap.org.
To order hard copies of the booklet, contact Giselle Samonte-Tan at gsamontetan@conservation.org.