The world’s coral reefs are facing a deepening crisis and four species of reef fish are in danger of extinction, but solutions are available to help revive the reefs, according to a report released by the UCLA Institute of the Environment’s Reef Check program.

A five-year analysis of the health of coral reefs, conducted by Reef Check, shows some stunning local successes in reef conservation, as well as dramatic failures on a regional and global scale. More than 5,000 scientists and divers took part in the study in more than 60 countries.

UCLA Visiting Professor Gregor Hodgson, marine ecologist and Reef Check founder, expressed concern about the health of the more than 1,000 reefs monitored by Reef Check volunteers.

“Overfishing has led to ecological destabilization in several areas of the world,� he said. “Following a 10 percent loss of coral during a 1997–1998 bleaching event, the reef corals are recovering in most areas, but the high-value fish and shellfish have been fished out.�

Coral reefs, found in about 100 countries, are significant because they are a source of food for 350 million people and of genetic material for the pharmaceutical industry, and they protect the coast from wave erosion. Many tropical islands and most white sand beaches that are important to the tourism industry are built on coral reefs.

Among the report’s major findings is that four species of fish are critically endangered: Nassau grouper were absent from 82 percent of shallow Caribbean reefs — only eight reefs had more than one fish. Barramundi cod, bumphead parrotfish and humphead wrasse were missing from 95 percent, 89 percent and 88 percent of Indo-Pacific reefs, respectively.

Hodgson said the small number of each of those species of fish means they are heading for extinction if something is not done to limit fishing.

“We would like to ask governments to immediately ban fishing and trade in these species,� he said. “If we do not, they will disappear completely.�

Another alarming finding was that the abundance of black Diadema sea urchins decreased significantly in the Indo-Pacific from 1998 to 2000, approaching levels similar to those found in the Atlantic.

The reduction in sea urchins is significant because sea urchins consume algae, and without the sea urchins, algae can overgrow coral and kill reefs, Hodgson said. Examples can be seen in Jamaica and Hawaii where some reefs, such as in Waikiki, are covered by a thick mat of algae where, previously, living corals predominated. The Reef Check data provide an early warning that the lowly sea urchin could be in trouble in the Pacific.

Although only 0.09 percent of the world’s ocean area is made up of coral reefs, the reefs extend over a vast area, and most are located in developing countries, making solutions difficult to implement. Setting up marine parks is one way to help protect and restore reefs.

One example of a success is a marine-protected area at Gilutongan Island, in Cebu, Philippines. The reefs in the area had been badly damaged by dynamite and cyanide fishing. Two years ago, the local Reef Check team helped to establish a marine park, and the local community now earns money by charging tourists a small fee to dive there.

“After only two years, it has not only been ecologically successful with fish coming back to the reef in high numbers and biodiversity restored, but it is economically successful,� Hodgson said. “Now every island in the area is asking for help to set up their own marine parks. Involving the private sector, in this case tourism, is the key to sustainable economic restoration of coral reefs on a global scale. There is no other alternative.�

According to Hodgson, when local residents participate in monitoring coastal resources such as reef fish and corals, they develop a sense of stewardship and develop the desire to take care of them, such as occurred at Gilutongan. The UCLA report notes that six of 20 reef health indicator organisms are now more abundant inside than outside marine-protected areas, indicating that MPAs in developing countries are starting to work.

In the United States, 84 percent of coral reefs are found in Hawaii, with the remainder found in Guam, Florida, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. They are valuable — in Hawaii they contribute almost $1 billion annually to the economy through recreation, coastal protection and fishing. Former President Clinton signed an executive order in 1998 that created a Coral Reef Task Force to oversee monitoring and management of U.S. coral reefs.

Reef Check scientists train teams of volunteers about the value of coral reefs, their ecology and how to scientifically monitor them. During surveys, the work is supervised and checked by a scientist. Reef Check is unique because it is the only global reef-monitoring program that uses a standard method.

Reef Check organized the first global survey of coral reefs in 31 countries and territories in 1997 and is part of the United Nation’s Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.

The UCLA Institute of the Environment is devoted to research and teaching related to environmental issues. Institute faculty come from a range of academic disciplines at UCLA, including the sciences, public policy, engineering, law, business and public health.