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Working together, we can leave our children a living planet.




THE REEF CHECK FOUNDATION is dedicated to Global Coral Reef Education, Monitoring and Management. It is one of Leonardo's premiere environmental charities.

Dr. Gregor Hodgson, Reef Check Director says, "Leonardo DiCaprio has shown his love for our oceans and coral reefs by participating in a Reef Check training in Thailand. We invite you to join him in helping to save reefs by supporting the Reef Check Foundation or participating in a Reef Check activity." (quote from leonardodicaprio.com)

The Reef Check Foundation
1362 Hershey Hall, 149607
University of California at Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496
USA
1-310-794-4985 (phone)
1-310-825-0758 (fax)
Rcheck@UCLA.edu

Nestled in tropical ocean waters, coral reefs provide invaluable resources to both human and marine life. Often dubbed "the rainforests of the sea", Coral reefs are estimated to contain one-quarter of the undersea world's diverse species while covering less than 0.2% of the ocean floor. Some scientists estimate that more than 25,000 described species from thirty-two of the world’s thirty-three animal phyla live in reef habitats - four times the number of animal phyla found in tropical rain forests. They are a source of food for approximately 100 million coastal peoples, they provide protection for coastlines, they play an essential role in sustaining life in the sea, and life-saving medicines, such as anticoagulants, and anticancer agents come from coral reefs.

Types of coral
Reef Check Homepage
(also has a great section on species identification)

Reef-building corals contain symbiotic algae in their tissues, enabling them to develop the large, massive, branching, or encrusting carbonate skeletons that provide habitat and food resources for support of other reef organisms, such as fish, lobsters, giant clams, and sea urchins to name but a few. Reefs maintain a network of intimate ecological relationships and delicate food webs. Disruption of coral reef communities can break up these ecological bonds. They generally require clear, warm water and high light intensity for survival. This limits them to shallow water, with maximum diversity occurring between 10 to 30 meters below the surface. Reefs exist in nutrient-poor environments and for that reason small changes in the nutrient content of the water can adversely affect their survival. Some coral reefs, such as the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, the Barrier Reef of Belize, and the Florida Reef Tract of the United States of America, are enormous and stretch over hundreds of kilometers. One hundred and nine countries have coral reefs in their waters.

Maps of the world's coral reefs

However, coral reefs are in serious danger due to both natural and man-made causes. Population growth and development has altered the coral reef environment. Destructive fishing practices, land-based sources of pollution such as agricultural runoff, and excessive coastal development all have detrimental effects on delicate reefs. Global warming due to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases result in sea-level rise and higher ocean temperatures, both of which have the potential to be destructive to corals.

"Globally, best estimates suggest that about 10% of coral reefs are already degraded, many beyond recovery, and another 20% are likely to decline further within the next 20 years. At least two-thirds of the world’s coral reefs may collapse ecologically within the lifetime of our grandchildren, unless we implement effective management of these ecosystems as an urgent priority."
IOC/UNEP/IUCN Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network Strategic Plan, preface by Gunnar Kullenberg, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Executive Director of UNEP, and David McDowell, Director General of the IUCN-World Conservation Union.