Reefs at Risk Revisited: Atlantic

This WRI fact sheet provides a regional analysis of coral reefs in the Atlantic, detailing their distribution, the socioeconomic dependence of coastal populations, the prevalence of local and climate-related threats, and the effectiveness of existing Marine Protected Areas.

• The Atlantic region contains approximately 10 percent of the world's coral reefs, totaling 26,000 sq km. These reefs are primarily located in the western Atlantic, specifically within the Bahamas Banks and the Caribbean Sea, with Bermuda serving as the most northerly coral reefs globally. Over 90 percent of the fish, corals, and crustaceans in this region are unique and found nowhere else.
• Approximately 43 million people live on the coast within 30 km of a reef in the Atlantic region. Reefs provide critical services including food, coastline protection against tropical storms by breaking waves offshore to reduce erosion and flooding, and support for tourism activities like SCUBA diving and snorkeling, particularly in Belize, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos.

APA

World Resources Institute (2011). Reefs at Risk Revisited: Atlantic. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/factsheet_reefs_atlantic.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Reefs at Risk Revisited: Atlantic. 2011. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/factsheet_reefs_atlantic.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Reefs at Risk Revisited: Atlantic |date=February 2011 |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/factsheet_reefs_atlantic.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2011reefs, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Reefs at Risk Revisited: Atlantic}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2011}, month = feb, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/factsheet_reefs_atlantic.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }