Cambridge Coastal Research Unit (CCRU) provides scientifically-informed input for the better management of shorelines and their associated ecosystems; facilitates and promotes multi-diciplinary research into all aspects of shallow water marine science; and informs coastal management and decision-making organisations within governmental and non-governmental institutions.

The National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI) was established by Congressional mandate in 1998. NCRI's primary objective is the assessment, monitoring, and restoration of coral reefs through basic and applied research, and through training and education. NCRI operates at the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Marine Spatial Ecology Lab (MSEL) University of Exeter, UK, conducts several types of research, each of which has an explicit spatial focus. These are: To develop remote sensing as a tool to acquire spatial information in coastal areas; To make use of remote sensing outputs to investigate the physical and ecological processes determining health, dynamics and diversity of coral reefs; To improve the management of coral reefs through marine reserve design; and To examine the spatial ecology of coral reef ecosystems.

International Union for Conservation
of Nature (IUCN) Global Marine Programme recognizes the continuing need to support biodiversity conservation with governments, civil society and the private sector. It strengthens the Union’s heartland work on conserving biodiversity as the basis for developing more effective interventions linked to the global sustainability agenda in the areas of climate change, energy, poverty, security, and economy.