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Science 18 March 2005:
Vol. 307. no. 5716, pp. 1725 - 1726
DOI: 10.1126/science.1104258
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Policy Forum

Also see the archival list of Science's Compass: Enhanced Perspectives

ECOLOGY:
Enhanced: Are U.S. Coral Reefs on the Slippery Slope to Slime?

J. M. Pandolfi,1* J. B. C. Jackson,3,4 N. Baron,5 R. H. Bradbury,6 H. M. Guzman,4 T. P. Hughes,7 C. V. Kappel,8 F. Micheli,8 J. C. Ogden,9 H. P. Possingham,2 E. Sala3

Conservation of U.S. coral reefs has been sidetracked by the partial implementation of management plans without clearly achievable goals. Historical ecology reveals global patterns of coral reef degradation that provide a framework for reversing reef decline with ecologically meaningful metrics for success. The authors of this Policy Forum urge action now to address multiple threats simultaneously, because the harmful effects of stressors like overfishing, pollution, poor land-use practices, and global warming are interdependent. Prompt implementation of proven, practical solutions would lead to both short- and long-term benefits, including the return of keystone species and the economic benefits they entail.

1The Centre for Marine Studies and Department of Earth Sciences, 2Department of Mathematics and School of Life Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. 3Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. 4Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panamá. 5National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara CA. 6Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. 7Centre for Coral Reef Biodiversity, School of Marine Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia. 8Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, CA 93950-3094, USA. 9Florida Institute of Oceanography, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA.

*Author for correspondence. E-mail: j.pandolfi{at}uq.edu.au

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