Journal of Marine Science: Research & Development
Open Access

Editorial

Corals at the EDGE of Existence

Crabbe MJC^1,2*

¹Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Tinbergen Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK

²Institute of Biomedical and Environmental Science and Technology, Technologies and Science, University of Bedfordshire, Park Square, Luton, LU1 3JU, UK

*Corresponding Author:

Crabbe MJC
Department of Zoology
University of Oxford
Tinbergen Building
South Parks Road
Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
Tel: +44 1865 271234
E-mail: james.crabbe@zoo.ox.ac.uk

Received date: 11 September, 2016; Accepted date: 12 September, 2016; Published date: 16 September, 2016

Citation: Crabbe MJC (2016) Corals at the EDGE of Existence. J Marine Sci Res Dev 6:e143. doi:10.4172/2155-9910.1000e143

Copyright: © 2016 Crabbe MJC. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

There are numerous human and environmental challenges to coral reefs that leave many species of scleractinian corals globally threatened. The EDGE of Existence (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) programme commenced in 2007 at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). The purpose of the programme was to focus resources for science and conservation on species where little research had been done, or where there were no conservation plans. The programme was developed to support EDGE Fellows who came from, and were based, in the countries where the EDGE species existed. So far, 58 Fellows have been supported, in 33 countries. The Fellowship lasts 2 years, and provides training to develop science and conservation techniques, including outreach and policy development. A grant enables initial implementation of the project. The EDGE programme aims to train future leaders in conservation science. In 2011 the programme was expanded from mammal, amphibian, reptile and bird species to include coral reefs. Specific training in coral reef biology, taxonomy and ecology is provided, together with SCUBA training if necessary. Marine conservationists are able to target conservation projects directed to specific species in Africa, Asia and the Americas.

Keywords