SciDev.Net

Coral reefs are the most diverse of all marine ecosystems and they provide economic benefits to the growing number of people who live in low-lying coastal areas. Research has suggested that climate change poses a threat to these complex ecosystems.

This report includes a thorough introduction to the ecology of coral reefs as a background.  It then provides an overview of the 'regular' stresses to which coral reefs are exposed, and how climate change affects them additionally.  The report suggests that the crisis affecting coral ecosystems must be understood as a combination of interacting stresses and says any attempts for remediation have to consider this.

The report provides a thorough yet accessible introduction and a comprehensive assessment of the stresses affecting coral reef systems. It will primarily be useful to someone who is new to the field.

Readers will have to download the report in pdf format.

This report reviews some of the main scientific achievements in discovering the extent of global biodiversity decline. It also reviews some of the major scientific initiatives to improve understanding of biodiversity issues that have been put in place since the 1992 Earth Summit.

It is one of 11 reports prepared by the International Council for Science to coincide with the World Summit on Sustainable Development that was held in Johannesburg in August 2002. Other reports in the series tackle issues such as biotechnology, climate change, energy, and traditional knowledge.

The Living Planet Report is a periodic update on the state of the world's ecosystems produced by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).

WWF have developed what they call the Living Planet Index. The index is based on trends over the past 30 years in populations of hundreds of species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish.

Between 1970 and 2000, the forest species population index declined by about 15 per cent, the marine index fell by about 35 per cent, while the freshwater index dropped 55 per cent over the 30-year period.

Published by the United Nations biodiversity convention, the Global Biodiversity Outlook is a periodic assessment of the state of the world’s biodiversity, which includes an analysis of the steps being taken to ensure that the convention is being adopted in its member countries.

The report also serves as a useful guide to the convention itself; provides information on what individual countries are doing to protect their biodiversity, and includes a list of biodiversity projects that are being funded by the Global Environment Facility.