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The world’s coral reefs are increasingly being threatened,
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mostly because of human activities.
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A group of environmental organizations
released a report on the issue in February.
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The “Reefs at Risk Revisited” report used new information
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and improved satellite mapping systems to
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study the world’s coral reefs.
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For the first time,it also considered the effect
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of climate change on these threatened sea organisms.
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Jane Lubchenco is administrator of the National Oceanic
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and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.
She says the problem is serious.
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“Approximately 75 percent of the world’s
coral reefs are currently threatened
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by a combination of local and global pressures.”
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Lubchenco says the threat to coral reefs
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will continue to increase unless
something is done to save them.
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“If the current trend persists,
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the projections in this report
tell us that 20 years from now,
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roughly half of the reefs globally
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will experience thermal stress sufficient
to induce severe bleaching in most years.
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Within the next 50 years this percentage
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is expected to grow more than 95 percent.”
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Nancy Knowlton is with the Smithsonian Institution.
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She says the threat to coral reefs
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could have a major effect on sea life.
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“It has been estimated that about one —
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at least one quarter, maybe as much as one third,
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of all species that live in the
ocean live associated with coral reefs.
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So perhaps it is not too
surprising that even more recently
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an analysis was done that suggests that one third of all coral
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species are actually at risk of extinction.
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This makes corals the most
endangered animal on the planet,
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even more endangered than frogs.”
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Millions of species of sea life
depend on coral reefs for their survival.
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This makes them an important source of food
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for millions of people around the world.
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Coral reefs also protect coastlines from storms and flooding.
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And, they provide economic security for many countries.
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“Tourism is an important economic contributor
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in over 95 countries and territories around the world.
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It contributes over 20 percent of GDP in over 20 countries.”
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Lauretta Burke is with the World Resources Institute.
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She was one of the lead writers of the report.
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She says more than 275-million people are dependent
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on the resources from coral reefs,
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mostly in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.
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The report noted overfishing and climate change as
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two of the most serious threats to the world’s oceans.
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It said higher acidity levels caused by carbon
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dioxide emissions are also a problem.
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Other threats include the use of explosives for fishing,
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as well as the run-off of toxic materials and other pollution.
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“Overfishing is the most widespread threat
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affecting about 55 percent of the world’s reefs.
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The threat is particularly high in Southeast Asia.
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Watershed based pollution and coastal development
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affect roughly a quarter of the world’s reefs.”
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Burke says while the reefs
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around Australia are the best preserved,
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those in Southeast Asia are the most threatened.
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90 percent of them are at risk,
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largely because of overfishing.
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The report says coral reefs are critically important.
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It says better management practices and
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policies must be established to
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reduce the threats to these valuable ecosystems.