Management of coral reefs: where we have gone wrong and what we can do about it

Globally, our current management of coral reefs is inadequate and becoming more so as we place new and greater stresses on these ecosystems. The future looks very dim, and yet we have the capacity to do a far more effective job of reef management if we want to. Making substantial improvements to the condition of these enormously valuable coastal marine ecosystems does not require new scientific discoveries, but a new commitment to apply the knowledge we already possess to manage our impacts so that sustainability becomes possible.