Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020 Full Report

Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020

Title: Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020

Edited by: David Souter, Serge Planes, Jérémy Wicquart, David Obura, and Francis Staub

Date: 5th October 2021

Institution: Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59387/WOTJ9184

ISBN: 978-1-3999-5144-9

Cite this report: Souter, D., Planes, S., Wicquart, J., Logan, M., Obura, D., Staub, F. (eds) (2021). Status of coral reefs of the world: 2020 report. Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) and International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). DOI: 10.59387/WOTJ9184

This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit services, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. No use of this publication may be made for resale or any other commercial purpose without prior permission in writing.

Acknowledgments

This sixth GCRMN Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020 report is the result of more than three-years of effort, supported by an extensive network of partners, contributors and scientists whose commitment to the monitoring and conservation of coral reefs is gratefully acknowledged.

The production of this milestone report was only possible through the voluntary contributions of almost 2 million observations from more than 300 contributors, from 73 reef-bearing countries. We specifically thank all the contributors and organizations, who are named throughout this report, for their generous contributions of data, information and time including the analysis of data, production of regional chapters and knowledge boxes throughout, recognizing the assistance in the editing and proof reading, especially the reviewing of regional chapters, often at very short notice.

Download the Executive Summary, Summary for Policy Makers & each individual chapter

List of Contributors

Red Sea: Khadija Abaker, Mohammed Al-Tawaha, Maher Amer, Roberto Arrigoni, Tamer Attalla, Abdullah Abu Awali, Michael Berumen, Jessica Bouwmeester, Darren Coker, Aden Elmi, Nouran Elsawy, Jan Freiwald, Chloe Harvey, Amy Johnson, Tullia Terraneo

ROPME Sea Area: Reem Al Mealla, Radhouan Ben-Hamadou, Mehdy Bolouki, Jessica Bouwmeester, John A. Burt, Michel Claerboudt, Pedro Range, Mahsa Alidoost Salimi, Parisa Alidoost Salimi, Oliver Taylor, Shaun Wilson

Western Indian Ocean: Rose Abae, Pierre-André Adam, Aly Bachiry Adouhouri, Céline Agathe- Miternique, Said Ahamada, Mmadi Ahamada, Soifa Ahmed, Nassir Amiyo, Paul Anstey, Kike Ballesteros, Jim Beets, Charlotte Berkström, Hawthorne Beyer, Lionel Bigot, Chico Birrell, Emeline Bouvelle, Eric Brown, Christophe Cadet, Nicole Caudana, Bruce Cauvin, Pascale Chabanet, Julie Church, Jérôme Clotagatide, Juliette Damien, Emily Darling, Isabel Marques da Silva, Solomon Davida, Marine Dedeken, Willy Domitin, Sirilo Dulunaqio, Patrick Durville, Linda Eggertsen, Eylem Elma, Ben Fleay, Margaret Fox, Sarah Freed, Jan Freiwald, Alan Friedlander, Albert Gamoe, Rémi Garnier, Paul Giannasi, Whitney Goodell, Charlotte Gough, Nick Graham, Alison Green, Gabriel Grimsditch, Mishal Gudka, Imogen Hamer, Dominique Hibon, Arielle Inès Hoamby, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Colin Jackson, Stacy Jupiter, Hassan Kalombo, Juliet Karisa, Siriya Karissa, Jillo Katello, Joseph Kilonzo, Ulrike Kloiber, John David Komakoma, Roberto Jean-Luc Komeno, Abigail Leadbeater, Mikaël Legras, Clément Lelabousse, Mariliana Leotta, Tom Leven, Jean Maharavo, Jairos Mahenge, Louise Malaise, Marine Malen-Francoise, Sangeeta Mangubhai, Zamil Mannfou, Lola Massé, Phanor Montoya Maya, Adfaon Mchinda, Nassur Ahamada Mdroimana, Modesta Medard, Mouchtadi Mmadi, Fiona Moejes, Misbahou Mohamed,Mohammed S. Mohammed, Djaffar Mouhidine, Rachad Mourid, Peter Musembi, Josephine Mutiso, Edward Mwamuye, Jelvas Mwaura, Odile Naim, Yashika Nand, January Ndagala, Jean-Benoit Nicet, Judith Nyunja, David Obura, Pádraig O’Grady, Bernard Ogwoka, Jennifer Olbers, Mike Olendo, Lorna Parry, Marcos A.M. Pereira, Sean Porter, Karine Pothin, Fouad Abdou Rabi, Volanirina Ramahery, Ravaka Ranaivoson, Manuel Gonzalez Rivero, David Rowat, Tévamie Rungassamy, Faissoil Ahmed Said, Michael H. Schleyer, Naomi Scholten, Chloe Shute, Erwan Sola, Emmanuel Tessier, Ali Makame Ussi, Maunoa Vesarikaro, Effy Vessaz, Jeanne Wagner, Marylène Wagner, Andra Whiteside, Julien Wickel, Shaun Wilson, Jacques van Wyk, Saleh A.S. Yahya.

South Asia: Fathimath Hana Amir, Carlo Nike Bianchi, Kailash Chandra, Mohamed Fairoz, Jan Freiwald, Sam Gallimore, Nicholas Hardman, Nizam Ibrahim, Monica Montefalcone, Carla Morri, Steve Newman, Edward Patterson, Nishan Perera, C. Raghunathan , Rajkumar Rajan, Danielle Robinson, Anne Sheppard, Charles Sheppard, Hussein Zahir

East Asian Seas: Muhammad Abrar, Porfirio M. Aliño, Abigail Alling, Affendi Yang Amri, Put Ang Jr., Michael Atrigenio, Soe Tint Aung, Maria Vanessa Baria-Rodriguez, Hawthorne Beyer, Andy Cameron, F. M. Carli, B. P. Carroll, Yong Kit Samuel Chan, Chaoluan Allen Chen, Chien-Hsun Chen, Loke Ming Chou, Kitty Currier, Chang-Feng Dai, Thomas Dallison, Laura David, Orla Doherty, Henry Duffy, Dan Exton, Tung-Yun Fan, Jan Freiwald, Giyanto, Matthew Glue, Tri Aryono Hadi, Vincent Hilomen, Ming-Jay Ho, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Hernyi Justin Hsieh, Danwei Huang, Huang Hui, Ming-Shiou Jeng, Sun Wook, Kim, Tadashi Kimura, Chao-Yang Kuo, David J.W. Lane, Jiansheng Lian, Wilfredo Y. Licuanan, Salai Mon Nyi Nyi Lin, Nguyen Van Long, Zau Lunn, Desimawati Hj Metali, Carol Milner, Cleto L. Nañola, Takeshi Nakamura, Chin Soon Lionel Ng, Heung-sik Park, Lorna Parry, Manuel Gonzalez Rivero, Ni Wayan Purnama Sari, Rikoh Manogar Siringoringo, Keryea Soong, Daniel Steadman, Suharsono, Makamas Sutthacheep, Augy Syahailatuha, Marianne Teoh Jr., Tai Chong Toh, Vo Si Tuan, Karenne Tun, Ouk Vibol, Zarinah Waheed, Chelsea Waters, Thamasak Yeemin, Apple Chui Pui Yi, Emily Yong,

Australia: Dave Abdo, Debbie Bass, Hawthorne Beyer, Scott Burgess, Dani Ceccarelli, Alistair Cheal, Caroline Christie, Greg Coleman, Ellen D’Cruz, Mike Emslie, Richard Evans, Jan Freiwald, Andrew Halford, James Gilmour, Jordan Goetze, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Thomas Holmes, Kerryn Johns, Michelle Jonker, Alan Kendrick, Abbi MacDonald, Ian Miller, Stephen Neale, Kate Osborne, Will Oxley, Lorna Parry, Manuel Gonzalez Rivero, William Robbins, Claire Ross, Nicole Ryan, Tane Sinclair-Taylor, Hugh Sweatman, Angus Thompson

Pacific: Lara Ainley, Abigail Alling, David Benavente, Hawthorne Beyer, Chico Birrell, Mary Bonin, Eric Brown, Rodney Camacho, Sara Cannon, Kitty Currier, Emily Darling, Orla Doherty, Simon Donner, Sirilo Dulunaqio, Janelle Eagle, Margaret Fox, Jan Freiwald, Antoine Gilbert, Marine Gouezo, Nicolas Guillemot, Tom Heintz, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Eryn Hooper, Peter Houk, Arielle Inès Hoamby, John Iguel, Sandrine Job, Johanna Johnson, Geoffrey Jones, Stacy Jupiter, Emma Kabua-Tibon, Roberto Jean Luc Komeno, James Kora, Alice Lawrence, Florian Le Bail, Enelio Liufau, Sangeeta Mangubhai, Mark McCormick, Sheila McKenna, Carol Milner, Bradley Moore, Kirby Morejohn, Yashika Nand, Stephen Neale, Lorna Parry, Denise Perez, Serge Planes, Volanirina Ramahery, Ravaka Ranaivoson, Manuel Gonzalez Rivero, Shannon Seeto, Maya Srinivasan, Heather Summers, Helen Sykes, Anthony Tenorio, Erica Towle, Maunoa Vesarikaro, Laurent Wantiez, Jane Waterhouse, David Welch, Andra Whiteside.

Eastern Tropical Pacific: Juan José Alvarado, Tatiana Araya, Andrea Arriaga, Arturo Ayala-Bocos, Jorge Cortés, Alan Friedlander, Priscila Martínez, Ana María Millán, Manuel Olán, Damien Olivier, Alejandro Pérez-Matus, Juan Pablo Quimbayo, Héctor Reyes-Bonilla, Fernando Rivera, Franz Smith, Evie Wieters, Fernando Zapata

Brazil: Maria Bernadete Barbosa, Maurizelia Brito, Mariana Sofia Coxey, Jarian Dantas, Camila Brasil Louro da Silveira, Eduardo Cavalcante de Macedo, Fábio Negrão Ribeiro de Souza, Ismael Escote, Caroline Vieira Feitosa, Beatrice Padovani Ferreira, Leonora Fritzsche, Ana Lídia Bertoldi Gaspar, Luiza Gomes, Carlos Henrique Lacerda, Daniel Lino Lippi, Mauro Maida, Simone Marques, Zaira Matheus, Leonardo Tortoriello Messias, Ana Paula Prates, Sergio Rezende, Lara Braga Sommer, Gil M.R. Strenzel.

Caribbean: A. Acosta-Chaparro, Mary E. Allen, Juan José Alvarado, Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip, Fabian Pina Amargos, Fabien Barthelat, Paulo Bertuol, Tadzio Bervoets, Claude Bouchon, Yolande Bouchon-Navaro, Ruleo Camacho, Esmeralda Pérez Cervantes, Julien Chalifour, Michael Colella, Rachel Collin, Nicole Craig, Marcia Creary Ford, Aldo Croquer, Monique Curtis, Thomas Dallison, Emma Doyle, Ian Drysdale, Caren Eckrich, Peter Edmunds, Peter E.T. Edwards, Jerry Jermain Enoe, Horacio Pérez España, Dan Exton, Graham E. Forrester, Roxanne-Liana Francisca, Jan Freiwald, David Gilliam, Ana Giro, Martha Catalina Gomez-Cubillos, Diana Gómez-López, Jesus Ernesto Arias Gonzalez, J. Gonzalez-Corredor, Silvia Patricia González Díaz, Carlos González-Gándara, Hector Guzman, Jane Hawkridge, Nicole Hayes, Mike Helion, Alex Henderson, Quetzalli Hernández, Emma Hickerson, Francisco Armando Arias Isaza, Ayumi Kuramae Izioka, Michelle Johnston, Kimani Kitson-Walters, Patricia Kramer, Jean-Philippe Maréchal, Gloria Marino, Melanie McField, Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern, Fiama Molina, Belkis Carolina Montalvan, Peter Mumby, Thaddeus J.T. Murdoch, Juan Carrasco Navas, R. Navas-Camacho, Marissa Nuttall, Yunier Olivera, Hazel Oxenford, Fernando J. Pardo-Urrutia, Maria Pena, José Luis Cabrera Pérez, Joaquín Rodrigo Garza Pérez, Sandrine Pivard, Angela Randazzo-Eisemann, Andrea Rivera-Sosa, Robert Ruzicka, L. Sanchez-Valencia, G.P. Schmahl, Janina Seemann, Nuno Simões, Melina Soto, David Souter, Johan Stapel, Robert Steneck, Ruben Torres, Erica K. Towle, Ewan Trégarot, Henri Valles, Jelle van der Velde, Mark J.A. Vermeij, Luis Andres Gradiz Villalobos, Gabrielle-Jae Watson, Sven Zea

Data collation and processing: Jérémy Wicquart

Statistical methods: Murray Logan

Data Accessibility

The GCRMN produces estimations regarding the status and trends of coral reefs of the world using data acquired by the members of the GCRMN network. The data are collected following Data Sharing Agreements (DSA) with data contributors and as such the GCRMN is not the owner of datasets shared by its members. Therefore, for the “Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020” report, the GCRMN is unable to share the raw datasets. However, some members of the GCRMN network and report contributors have made their datasets publicly available. For benthic cover monitoring data, such open access datasets are listed here.