Global decline in capacity of coral reefs to provide ecosystem services

TLDR

Coral reefs worldwide are threatened by climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution. The study aims to quantify the cumulative impact of these threats on coral reefs’ global capacity to provide ecosystem services. The authors assess global changes in coral reef habitat extent, fishery catches and effort, Indigenous fish consumption, and reef‑associated biodiversity. Global living coral coverage has halved since the 1950s, fishery catches peaked in 2002 and have declined despite increased effort—with catch‑per‑unit effort down 60%—and at least 63 % of reef‑associated biodiversity has declined, threatening human well‑being and sustainable coastal development.

Abstract

Coral reefs worldwide are facing impacts from climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution. The cumulative effect of these impacts on global capacity of coral reefs to provide ecosystem services is unknown. Here, we evaluate global changes in extent of coral reef habitat, coral reef fishery catches and effort, Indigenous consumption of coral reef fishes, and coral-reef-associated biodiversity. Global coverage of living coral has declined by half since the 1950s. Catches of coral-reef-associated fishes peaked in 2002 and are in decline despite increasing fishing effort, and catch-per-unit effort has decreased by 60% since 1950. At least 63% of coral-reef-associated biodiversity has declined with loss of coral extent. With projected continued degradation of coral reefs and associated loss of biodiversity and fisheries catches, the well-being and sustainable coastal development of human communities that depend on coral reef ecosystem services are threatened.