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The Coral Triangle

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Coral Reefs: An Ecosystem in Transition

Abstract

Spatial analyses of coral distributions at species level delineate the Coral Triangle and provide new insights into patterns of diversity and endemism around the globe. This study shows that the Coral Triangle, an area extending from the Philippines to the Solomon Islands, has 605 zooxanthellate corals including 15 regional endemics. This amounts to 76% of the world’s total species complement, giving this province the world’s highest conservation priority. Within the Coral Triangle, highest richness resides in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of Indonesian Papua, which hosts 574 species, with individual reefs supporting up to 280 species ha−1. The Red Sea/Arabian region, with 364 species and 27 regional endemics, has the second highest conservation priority. Reasons for the exceptional richness of the Coral Triangle include the geological setting, physical environment, and an array of ecological and evolutionary processes. These findings, supported by parallel distributions of reef fishes and other taxa, provide a clear scientific justification for the Coral Triangle Initiative, arguably one of the world’s most significant reef conservation undertakings.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Gerry Allen (Western Australian Museum), Dr Peter Mous (Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries), and Sheldon Cohen (The Nature Conservancy) contributed to the preparation of this manuscript. Tim Simmonds (AIMS) assisted with map preparations. The authors particularly thank The Nature Conservancy for supporting all aspects of the work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coral Reef Research, 10 Benalla Road, Townsville, Oak Valley, 4811, Australia

    John (Charlie) E. N. Veron, Lyndon M. DeVantier, Emre Turak & M. Stafford-Smith

  2. Australian Institute of Marine Science, MSO, Townsville, 4811, Australia

    John (Charlie) E. N. Veron, Lyndon M. DeVantier, Emre Turak & Stuart Kininmonth

  3. The Nature Conservancy, 51 Edmondstone Street, South Brisbane, New york, 4101, Australia

    Alison L. Green & N. Peterson

Authors
  1. John (Charlie) E. N. Veron
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  2. Lyndon M. DeVantier
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  3. Emre Turak
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  4. Alison L. Green
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  5. Stuart Kininmonth
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  6. M. Stafford-Smith
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  7. N. Peterson
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Correspondence to John (Charlie) E. N. Veron .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , The Mina & Everard Goodman Fac. of Life, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel

    Zvy Dubinsky

  2. , The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel

    Noga Stambler

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Veron, J.(.E.N. et al. (2011). The Coral Triangle. In: Dubinsky, Z., Stambler, N. (eds) Coral Reefs: An Ecosystem in Transition. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0114-4_5

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