EPA is in the process of developing guidance for a watershed approach to coral ecosystem protection.

Some of CRISP's components include integrated coastal and watershed management, and development of coral ecosystems.

Saint Helena and Ascension Island both have excellent and well preserved coral ecosystems, which are very diverse and contain many endemic and non-endemic fish species.

Bunaken National Park which protects a rich coral ecosystem has been proposed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Studied only sparsely for decades, NOAA expeditions to the seamount in 2002 and 2006 cast light upon its unique deep-sea coral ecosystem.

The reef system is so remote and untouched by human activities that it can serve as a benchmark for understanding and potentially providing guidance for restoring other degraded hard coral ecosystems.

A very rich coral ecosystem covers most of Bunaken National Park, dominated by fringing reef and barrier reef corals.

The researchers point out that the survival of some coral colonies after bleaching episodes does not necessarily mean that the coral ecosystem is healthy.

But rebuild they do, and this resilience is at the heart of a dispute among marine biologists over the contribution of human activity to the stresses on coral ecosystems.

Overfishing, particularly selective overfishing, can unbalance coral ecosystems by encouraging the excessive growth of coral predators.