are not directly linked to conservation. They range from building sewage and industrial waste treatment facilities to minimize pollution of coastal habitats to removing the host of subsidies and incentives — in the agricultural, forestry, development, fisheries, and other economic sectors — that result in degradation of water quality, direct destruction of reef habitats, and overexploitation of reef species. For these approaches to work, legislation backed up by enforcement of these laws and regulations must be in place to protect reef resources. Restrictions alone will not work. Successful management approaches address the underlying causes of reef degradation by promoting economic development while protecting coral reef habitats. Examples include providing alternative livelihoods for people engaged in destructive activities through economic necessity, training fishers to use less destructive fishing methods, and regulating access and use of reef resources by establishing community ownership over reef fisheries and through other approaches. Environmental education plays an important role in building public support for better reef management. One of the most effective approaches for combating threats to reefs is through a well-managed, representative marine protected area system (see box "Reefs and Marine Protected Areas). Marine parks, sanctuaries, and reserves can protect reef ecosystems and species while generating tourism dollars and maintaining the vitality of nearby fisheries. The World Conservation Union has called on countries to protect 10 percent of all habitat types. However, with one or two exceptions (such as Australia), countries protect a far lower percentage of their coral reefs, and all have a long way to go in order to meet a recently proposed global target of protecting 20 percent of the oceans. Protection alone, however, cannot safeguard reefs from the sedimentation, pollution, and other threats that originate outside the boundaries of parks and reserves. Around the world, governments and people are taking steps to conserve and restore coral reef ecosystems. Seven examples, most contributed by experts who helped us with the Reefs at Risk assessment, are profiled below. Reef: BERMUDAS CORAL REEFS Location: Bermuda, Atlantic Ocean Signs of progress: Catch levels of grouper and snapper, two important reef species, declined significantly from the mid-1970s, apparently due to overharvesting. Total grouper catch per fishing pot (a fish trap commonly used to catch reef species) dropped from 18 to 065 kilos between 1975 and 1985, with smaller fish increasingly predominating. Meanwhile, fish traps and boat anchoring by fishers and recreational boats were damaging reef structure' Under pressure from hotel owners, dive operators, and other businesses, the government closed the 2 million pot fishing industry in 1990, compensating fishers for the cost of their gear and lost revenue. In doing so, Bermuda recognized the importance of its lucrative reef-based tourism and recreational industries — valued at over 9 million in 1988 — while benefiting reef biodiversity in the process" " Reef: TUBBATAHA REEF Location: Sulu Sea, Philippines Signs of progress: In the late 1980s, overfishing and destructive fishing practices were rampant here, with coral cover reduced by 50 percent over a five-year period ending in 1989" The 33,200-hectare area is now a national marine park (the only one in the Philippines) and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Non-governmental organizations and the government have worked together to manage the park since its establishment in 1988. The navy, with assistance from NGOS, is patrolling the area to stop illegal fishing. In 1997, all fishing activities were halted within the park and a ranger station was constructed. In 1998, a park management board was put into place. Environmental education materials have been disseminated to stakeholders in the area, and the dive tourism industry is helping to install anchor buoys and regulate the activities of divers on the reefs. The condition of the coral reef substrate has improved remarkably since 1989 and the diversity of fish is exceptionally high" Reef: APO AND BALICASAG ISLAND REEFS Location: Central Visayas, Philippines Signs of progress: In the late 1970s, blast and cyanide fishing, as well as other destructive fishing practices, threatened these and other reefs in Central Visayas. Thanks to a community-based marine management program, put in place in the mid-1980s, these practices ceased by 1997. Under this program, Silliman University staff helped organize local people into marine management committees. These groups then set up marine reserves that included no-fishing sanctuaries on one portion of the reef With the aid of municipal governments, residents have continued to prevent reef damage from fishermen and divers, both within and outside the sanctuaries. A growing tourism industry catering to scuba divers is providing much needed revenue to local communities. In 1992, surveys indicated that live coral cover and fish populations within the sanctuaries had increased substantially along with fish yields per unit area off Apo Island. 42 REEFS AT RISK