ICRAN www.icran.org, the International Coral Reef Action Network, is a strategic alliance working to halt and reverse the declining health of the world's coral reefs through initiating and carrying out management activities. Through its global network of demonstration sites in the Caribbean, Eastern Africa, South East Asia and the South Pacific, ICRAN is implementing a globally co-ordinated effort to improve coral reef management and positively impact the lives of local communities. Further sites are also being developed in the Arabian Seas and South Asia.

ICRAN operates by sharing and building on traditional knowledge, current research and the lessons of practical experiences to strengthen reef management through peer-to-peer communication. Experiences are shared between sites and regions and replicated or modified to capture the unique characteristics of each area.

The ICRAN strategy addresses most of the local causes of degradation of the coral reef environment and includes all stakeholders and local communities in the management process.

This holistic approach to reef management - including alternative livelihoods, training, capacity building, and the exchange of current scientific, economic, and social information - serves not only to ensure the future of these valuable ecosystems, but also to ensure the future of the communities that the coral reefs sustain.

ICRAN is one of the operational networks of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), www.icriforum.org.