“…Recent studies in the Caribbean (Gardner et al, 2003) and Indo Pacific (Bruno and Selig, 2007) reveal a coral cover decline of over 50% over the past ∼40 years. In the Western Indian Ocean, like elsewhere, coral reef ecosystems have undergone a tremendous change (McClanahan, 2000;Turner et al, 2000;Sheppard, 2003;McClanahan et al, 2007a) scientists do not fully understand the causes (Dustan et al, 2001;Aronson and Precht, 2006), factors known to contribute to this change include over fishing and removal of grazers, use of destructive gear, climate change induced coral bleaching, the loss of algal symbionts, storm damage, disease, increasing abundance of algae and pollution (McClanahan, 2002;Hoegh-Guldberg, 1999;Rogers and Miller, 2006).…”