Bermuda has been singled out as an area of high vulnerability to reef loss, in a study of threatened reef habitats around the world.In the ‘Reefs at Risk Revisited’ report, the Island appears on a list of the seven countries around the world with the most to lose: those with both a high exposure to threat, and a high dependence on reefs.The others are the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mayotte, Samoa, St. Eustatius and St. Kitts and Nevis.“All of these are small-island states, and many are densely populated,” the report says.“While relatively high adaptive capacities are likely to help these islands to buffer potential impacts on reef-dependent people, ultimately the extent of their vulnerability to reef loss will depend on how effectively resources and skills are directed toward reducing reef threats and dependence.”The report is an update on a 1998 study released by researchers at the World Resources Institute.It points to a direct dependence on reefs for food and employment in Bermuda as throughout the Caribbean in Bermuda’s case, the local threat level is lower, in part because the chronic overfishing that strains the resources of poorer islands has not affected the Island’s reefs.Still, the report notes, corals across our region “have been in decline for decades”, with diseases such as the 1980s plague that wiped out black-tipped urchins in Bermuda and the Caribbean causing particular damage.Climate change and ocean acidification are major risks looming in decades to come.Bermuda’s vulnerability is especially high because of the Island’s small size, and its dependence on reefs for protection from tropical storms.The report concludes: “Threat levels for reefs in Bermuda range from medium to very high. However, the value for the exposure index is very high because this component combines threat levels and the ratio of reef to land area (which is very high for Bermuda).”Useful web link: www.wri.org\reefs.