Editorial overview: Environmental change issues: Coral reefs sustainability and its challenges

摘要

Coral reefs are beleaguered ecosystems under a variety of threats. Stressors can be divided into three basic categories. First there are those acting locally, in the 'near field'. These are stressors and impacts caused by local phenomena and under the direct influences of the local populus. Point-source pollution, local overfishing and destructive fishery practises come to mind. While having localized impacts, they are ubiquitous and only the exceptional and remote reef systems are spared these impacts. However, being local in source, and local of impact, one may surmise that they could be addressed by local action and that concerted conservation action should have a fighting chance of bearing fruit (Rinkevich [1~·], D'Angelo and Wieden-mann [2~·], and Risk [3~·], this issue).