Benefits and Related Threats of Coral Reef Ecosystem Services

Understanding the impact of direct and indirect drivers of change on diverse marine ecosystems such as coral reefs implies that users as well as stakeholders and decision makers need to reconsider their strategies, roles and perceptions in meeting the challenges confronted by these ecosystems. The findings in this article, derived from distinct studies, imply that societies that are more exposed to threats like climate change are more likely to be vulnerable, particularly those that have low social adaptive capacity. Moreover, other results from primary valuation studies highlight that users such as recreational divers are supportive of paying towards the protection and/or restoration of coral reef ecosystems. However, what is urgently needed in benefit estimation of coral reef services is the interconnectedness of this ecosystem state to human welfare.