Welcome New Members!  We look forward to meeting you at the International Coral Reef Symposium.  Please look for Sharon Khan at The Ocean Foundation and at Conservation International's booths in the Exhibit area and learn about our project to compile economic data on the value of tropical marine ecosystems.

The Value of Marine Ecosystems

In January 2008, the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) established an Ad Hoc Committee on Economic Valuation of Coral Reef Ecosystems, which is co-chaired by the ICRI Secretariat and the World Resources Institute (WRI), and has as its primary responsibility the compilation of an inventory of resources to support ICRI members in coral reef valuation. Towards this effort, Conservation International’s Marine Management Area Science Program (MMAS) is working with The Ocean Foundation’s Coastal Ocean Values Center (COVC), World Resources Institute, and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to produce a coral reef economic statistics booklet and web database. The booklet will be launched at the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, October 2008 and will contain summaries of economic research from global, regional, and site-specific studies. It will provide marine area managers, policy makers, community stakeholders, economists and non-economists alike, with information that can help to improve coral reef conservation. Summary highlights will also be included in CI’s ecosystem values map, www.consvalmap.org and in COVC’s Coral Reef Economics Community of Practice, www.communities.coastalvalues.org/coralreef.

We need your help gathering economic studies showing economic values of tropical marine ecosystems. Please complete the enclosed insert and return to the Conservation International booth or e-mail the information to Giselle Samonte-Tan, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

If you haven't already, please join the Coral Reef Economics Community of Practice (Coral CoP), www.communities.coastalvalues.org/coralreef.  The Coral CoP is your platform to connect with coral reef economic researchers and experts across the globe, and access published and technical papers from the password protected documents library. For more information contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Sharon Khan at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it