ABSTRACT
This chapter calls for a new approach to the management of coral reef ecosystems as tourism resources. As part of this call, the chapter discusses the need to reconsider the meaning of sustainability as ecosystems undergo rapid changes driven by global warming. Past assumptions of carrying capacity will need to be modified as ecosystems respond to increasing water temperature and acidity. The most obvious symptom of this change is coral bleaching. The chapter also highlights the growing number of initiatives that are being implemented to strengthen coral reefs, particularly those that have been weakened by anthropogenic factors. The chapter concludes with a suggested ten-point policy framework that – if adopted and enforced – will greatly assist coral reefs and the sectors of the tourism that rely on them to minimise future damage and hopefully facilitate meaningful coral recovery.
