Coral reef ecosystem services in the Anthropocene

Abstract Coral reefs underpin a range of ecosystem goods and services that contribute to the well‐being of millions of people. However, tropical coral reefs in the Anthropocene are likely to be functionally different from reefs in the past. In this perspective piece, we ask, what does the Anthropocene mean for the provision of ecosystem services from coral reefs? First, we provide examples of the provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services underpinned by coral reef ecosystems. We conclude that coral reef ecosystem service research has lagged behind multidisciplinary advances in broader ecosystem services science, such as an explicit recognition that interactions between social and ecological…

• SF
  Stiftelsen för Miljöstrategisk Forskning
• BU
  Bangor University
• SU
  Stockholms Universitet
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Award: NE/L002604/1
• DO
  Division of Ocean Sciences