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8 | CORALS, THE EXPOSED NERVES OF THE OCEAN

GLOBAL REPORT
Coral health,

the verdict is in

Data acquired over the last 40 years in thousands of sites across the world have

been aggregated and analysed, enabling researchers at the Global Coral Reef

Monitoring Network to provide an unprecedented scientific overview of the health
status of the global coral reef ecosystem.

The authors of the report and members of the Glo- Following the introductory words of Erica Towle, the
bal Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) stee- representative of ICRI’s current US presidency, in
ring committee convened at the Oceanographic Mu- regard to the process of drawing up the report, as
seum and Novotel Monte Carlo for a 3-day scientific well as the United States’ commitment, the repre-
workshop behind closed doors. They also presented sentative of the United Nations Environment Pro-
the latest global report on the Status of Coral Reefs gramme, Takehiro Nakamura, pointed out the need
of the World on Tuesday 22 March in the Hirondelle to implement ambitious measures
Conference Room of the Museum. on a global scale. GCRMN’s glo- “The reef communities once
bal coordinator, David Souter, Re-
The presentation opened with a few words by HE search Director at the Australian dominated by corals are
Bernard Fautrier, Minister Plenipotentiary, Special Ad- Institute of Marine Science, sub- finding themselves gradually
visor to HSH the Sovereign Prince on environmental sequently gave an overview of this being dominated by algae,
issues, who looked back on the accomplishments unique scientific publication which thus reducing the complex
achieved during Monaco’s 3-year presidency (in represents a decisive chapter in habitat of coral architecture”,
conjunction with Australia and Indonesia) of the Inter- the history of the global coral reef Francis Staub, Coordinator
national Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). The Minister then ecosystem: “The sharp decline in of ICRI secretariat
commended this “very detailed and thorough analy- coral cover observed over the last
sis which takes on board the complexity of the coral two decades has nearly always been associated with
reef situation across the globe”. The 6 edition of the a rapid increase in sea surface temperatures, sug-
th
report is in fact the first in 13 years and the most com- gesting their vulnerability to extreme heat events. This
prehensive ever produced in the world. type of event is likely to occur more frequently with
the ongoing warming of the planet.”