Coral Reefs
"Rainforests of the Sea"
Coral reefs, and their associated sea grass and mangrove habitats, are among the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on earth. Such reef systems are storehouses of immense biological wealth and provide economic and environmental services to millions of people as shoreline protection, areas of natural beauty, recreation, and tourism, and sources of food, pharmaceuticals, jobs, and revenues. According to one estimate, these "rainforests of the sea" provide services worth about $375 billion each year — a staggering figure for an ecosystem that covers less than 1 percent of the earth’s surface.The United States has a significant national interest in protecting…
