UNEP/GEF Review of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea

Coral reefs thrive best in warm tropical waters but extend beyond the tropics in situations where warm currents push through the tropical belt into the higher latitudes. Southeast Asia is recognized as the global centre of coral reefs, both in terms of extent and species diversity. An estimated 34% of the earth’s coral reefs are located in the seas of Southeast Asia (Burke et al., 2002) which occupies only 2.5% of the total sea surface.

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