The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is now fully immersed in our historic Global Reef Expedition. We are circumnavigating the globe aboard the M/Y Golden Shadow research vessel in a quest to rapidly map and survey many of the world’s shallow tropical coral reefs. This expedition was the vision of His Royal Highness, Prince Khaled bin Sultan as an urgent response to the accelerating global coral reef crisis.
The news of declining ocean health is prominent and shocking in many respects. Exponential growth in human population combined with the spoils of an industrial age has stressed the health of our oceans to a tipping-point. Fish stocks are crashing, essential fish habitat has been wantonly destroyed, plastics and pollution are contaminating the seas, and coastal development continues unabated. Fragile coral reefs, which harbor nearly 25% of all marine species and supply food and livelihoods for millions of people, have taken the brunt of this chronic stress and are withering at a stunning pace.
The objective of our Global Reef Expedition is not to document the demise of the coral reefs but to rapidly advance the world’s scientific knowledge and arm countries around the world with essential information to counteract the decline in coral health. Coral Reefs need a massive intervention through strong political will, sustained financial support, and wide-scale resource management.
This annual report chronicles our second full year of the Global Reef Expedition in which we completed our work in the greater Caribbean, conducted research in the Galapagos and journeyed to the South Pacific. Our accomplishments have been impressive to date but much work remains. The resilience of coral reefs is remarkable and we are optimistic that our Global Reef Expedition, combined with the efforts and passion of other conservationists around the world, will have a timely impact on reversing the downward trend in coral health.
