It will complement the now famous red list of threatened animals and the United Nations list of national parks and protected areas, both of which are now available on the Internet as a result of generous funding by British Telecom. WCMC is also engaged in a major scheme to map the world's coral reefs in digital form. The initiative is part of a collaborative venture with the Philippines-based International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management. Detailed maps have already been prepared for more than 25 countries. Coral reefs are very sensitive ecosystems and any threat to their survival has serious implications for local populations and for the many kinds of wildlife that depend on them.
Oil is a very serious threat.
There is strong evidence that petroleum hydrocarbons seriously damage coral reproduction and, if crude oil is present at low tides, the result can be massive morality. That was a serious concern at the time of the Maersk Navigator incident. Coral reefs abound in the Nicobar Islands, as do mangroves, and it was feared that both these important kinds of habitats would be badly damaged. In 1986, in collaboration with IUCN and with funding from British Petroleum, WCMC began work on mapping the distribution of the world's tropical forests. In addition there has been a move lately to help local decision makers to form forest policy in the light of knowledge about forest conditions and vulnerability.