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ReefLink Database: A decision support tool for Linking Coral Reefs and Society Through Systems Thinking
Citation:
Yee, S. ReefLink Database: A decision support tool for Linking Coral Reefs and Society Through Systems Thinking. IN: Guanica Bay Watershed Update, 3(2):9, (2012).
Impact/Purpose:
EPA scientists have developed the ReefLink Database utilizing a systems approach to integrate ecosystem services into the decision process, including elucidating the linkages between decisions, human activities, and provisioning of reef ecosystem goods and services.
Description:
Coral reefs provide the ecological foundation for productive and diverse fish and invertebrate communities that support multibillion dollar reef fishing and tourism industries. Yet reefs are threatened by growing coastal development, climate change, and over-exploitation. A key issue is that scientific and management efforts are often narrowly defined. As a consequence, there is often difficulty in predicting the indirect consequences and benefits of decisions. There is an urgent need for a decision framework which integrates environmental concerns with social and economic needs.