Synthesis and Future Perspectives on the Coral Reefs in the Western Pacific Region

Being one of the older marine organisms, corals have existed on this planet for more than several hundreds of millions of years and serve as an important component in global marine ecosystems. Coral reefs provide services covering a variety of social and economic aspects affecting the life and welfare of millions of people in the Western Pacific Region. Coral reefs also protect marine environments in low latitude zones that help to reduce the impacts from global climate changes. However, the future of coral reefs in the Western Pacific Ocean and particularly tropical and subtropical areas relies on the behavior of human beings at regional scales, as well as the interactions with changes in global climate. Uncertainty exists in the predictions on how coral reefs will cope with the complex interactions between various external forcings on this planet over the next century.