The International Coral Reef Initiative: This effort was first launched in 1995, under the sponsorship of eight countries (the United States, Philippines, Japan, Australia, Jamaica, France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). ICRI seeks to promote the sustainable management and use of coral reefs and related ecosystems (mangroves and sea grass beds) through a range of activities that have included regional workshops to identify area-specific issues and priorities and opportunities for collaboration between countries.

The Framework for Action: A major outcome of the first ICRI workshop was the production of a Framework for Action, which was subsequently agreed to by representatives of at least 80 governments and a variety of non-governmental organizations and funding agencies. This framework includes actions to be taken in the areas of management, capacity building, research and monitoring, and review. For the framework to be effective, it must be strongly supported and accepted as the standard guideline for the implementation of improved coral reef management.

The International Year of the Coral Reef: As part of an international awareness-raising campaign under ICRI, 1997 was declared the "Year of the Reef." Environmental organizations, museums and aquaria, research institutions, and other groups hosted activities to promote public education, data collection and assessment, and reef management around the world.

The International Year of the Ocean: The United Nations declared 1998 the "Year of the Ocean" to help maintain media and public attention on coral reefs and other marine habitats.

Protected area targets: The World Conservation Union (IUCN), a nonprofit organization with a broad government and non-governmental organization membership, proposed, in 1992, that countries protect a minimum of 10 percent of their ecosystems, a target that has since gained wide endorsement. More recently, at an American Association for the Advancement of Science special symposium on marine protected areas held in Seattle in 1997, Dr. Jane Lubchenco called for the setting aside of 20 percent of the surface area of the world's oceans as no-take protected reserves by the year 2020. Within no-take areas, all fishing is prohibited. The 20-percent-by-2020 goal is supported by a number of scientists and other experts, who recommend that it be a major focus of activities beyond the International Year of the Reef.

The Convention on Biological Diversity: This 1992 binding agreement requires countries to develop and implement strategies for the sustainable use and protection of biodiversity, including that of marine ecosystems. Many of the signatory nations have developed national-level strategies and action plans to this end. Marine issues are specifically addressed in the convention's 1995 Jakarta Mandate on Coastal and Marine Biodiversity. To date, however, few concrete actions have been taken to implement this workplan.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES): This binding agreement, which came into force in 1975, prohibits most international trade of certain species (Appendix I species) and regulates that of others through a permit system (Appendix II species). All stony corals and black corals are listed as Appendix II species, and as such receive some protection, although currently it is difficult to track their trade due to nonstandardized reporting protocols. CITES could be a more effective treaty for protecting coral reef biodiversity if there were adequate data on the status of marine species (without proof that a species is threatened, there are no grounds for limiting its trade).

There are a range of other international agreements and initiatives covering marine pollution, land-based pollution, fisheries, and protected areas relevant to coral reefs. They offer both mechanisms for reducing human impact on reef ecosystems (for example, the United Nations Conference on the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities and the Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) and means for better protecting coral reefs (for example, World Heritage Convention, Ramsar Convention, and the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme).

Source: World Resources Institute