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Planetary Coral Reef Foundation
Overview
PCRF's
coral reef scientist, Orla Doherty,
monitoring coral reefs in Southeast Asia
The Coral Reef Crisis
The Planetary Coral Reef Foundation (PCRF) was founded in 1991 to address the global coral reef crisis.
An estimated 25% of the world's reefs have already disappeared and an estimated two-thirds of all coral
reefs are at risk today. In Southeast Asia, more than 80% of the reefs are at risk and more than 90% of
the reefs in the Florida Keys have lost their living coral cover since 1975. Threatened by pollution,
over-fishing, dynamite and cyanide fishing, sedimentation as well as bleaching caused by global warming,
coral reefs are now endangered on a planetary scale. If immediate action is not taken, coral reefs could
disappear from Earth within this century. The future of life on our planet depends on the health of our
oceans and the health of our oceans depends on the health of our coral reefs.
A healthy
coral reef
A coral that has "bleached"
Why Coral Reefs Are Important
Coral reefs are the most biodiverse marine ecosystem and the greatest expression of ocean life.
Home to more than 25% of all fish species, reefs and their habitats play a vital role in the global
economy, providing resources and services worth an estimated $375 billion per year including:
food for an estimated 10% of the world's population, fish nursery habitats, shoreline protection from
erosion, pharmaceuticals and tourism. The prospects of a world without reefs are devastating
- for the
global economy, for a hungry and ever growing world population, for the sustainability of the oceans and
for the life of all future generations.
PCRF - Meeting the Planetary Challenge
PCRF continues to aspire, more
than 15 years since its inception, to contribute to the body of
knowledge about coral reefs, to further marine conservation initiatives,
to inform the curious public on its findings in the field free of charge
and to educate by both hands-on experience and virtual transmission.
PCRF approaches projects and tasks from a
combination of angles including science, education and conservation.
All of its programs aim to inform, inspire
and provide ways for the individual to get involved and become a steward
of our earth’s biosphere. (Photo right: sailing vessel Mir)
Research and Youth Leadership Program at Sea
In
support of its mission, PCRF managed an on-going expedition at sea for
fourteen years to map and monitor the world's coral reefs and provide an
education-outreach program for students.
Website Output
Studio of the Sea
Studio of the Sea is a production studio onboard the ship that produces short films and still images from the sea.
Over 40 films and 250 photographs are posted online at
www.studioofthesea.org to illustrate the beauty and the challenges of our biosphere.
Coral Reef Satellite Mission
Today, there is no comprehensive baseline map of living coral reefs, and this information is urgently needed
if we are to have a chance of saving this endangered ecosystem. To accomplish this critical goal, PCRF is also
pioneering a Coral Reef Satellite Mission in cooperation with scientists at College of Charleston, M.I.T., Scripps
Institution of Oceanography, SeaSpace, the Stevens Institute of Technology and USC. This will be the first satellite
mission dedicated to coral reef stewardship.
Michel with whale shark in Papua New Guinea
Join us at www.pcrf.org!
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