Economic Assessment of Corals & Coral Reef Ecosystem

Covering less than 0.1 percent of the world's ocean, they support over 25 percent of marine biodiversity. The coral reefs are providing a wide range of ecosystem services such as coastal protection, fisheries, medicine, recreational benefits, tourism revenues, etc. Sedimentation, destructive fishing practices, climate change, rise in sea levels, ocean acidification, market demand for ornamental coral collections, etc., are deteriorating the health status and sustainable production of coral reefs. Identification of various goods and services produced by the coral reef and their equivalent economic benefits to human wellbeing shall create awareness to coastal stakeholders to support the protection and participatory management of reef areas. This book provides details about goods and services from the coral reefs and their estimated economic benefits. This ecosystem assessment study was conducted under the World Bank assisted Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors concerned and do not necessarily represent the views of the organizations that they are attached.