 They are out of sight to most humans, suffering silently, and in great danger.
We're talking about the beautiful and beneficial coral reefs that exist in the world's waters and are an essential part of Earth's rich biodiversity. Most people don't realize it but corals are animals, often mistaken for minerals, and they are very vulnerable.
A recent focus on the status of coral reefs was highlighted in numerous articles last month on World Oceans Day (June 8th). These stories related the challenges faced byHawaii's popular coral reefs, the Flower Garden Banks coral sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico, Australia's well-known Great Barrier reef (the largest living structure on earth), and the huge Coral Triangle which covers more than a billion acres controlled by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste in the Pacific Ocean.
All of the above reef formations are under tremendous environmental stress, foremost of which is "coral bleaching," a result of too much acidity from CO2 inputs and warmer ocean waters caused by climate change. Bleaching drains the coral of its color and also makes it more susceptible to disease and death.
The vital need to protect coral reefs is triggered by their unique value and stunning array of diversity. The health of coral reefs and fisheries is very tied together.
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Smithsonian Magazine reports on the importance of the reefs by stating: "Of the 6,000 currently known species of reef fish, 37 percent of the world's reef fish live in parts of the Coral Triangle. Two hundred and thirty-five of those species live nowhere else."
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Popular Science magazine notes that "Although coral reefs account for less than one percent of the marine environment, they're home to 25 percent of all marine life."
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It is estimated that fish from coral reefs feed over a billion people worldwide.
As if climate change was not enough to damage and stress the reefs, increased fishing and tourism also takes a toll. At present, one of the largest threats to the Flower Garden Banks sanctuary, located in an area of extremely active gas and oil production, is a push by the Trump administration to expand offshore drilling in this area.
Inside Climate News cites the fact that "The sanctuary, home to more than 180 species, is blanketed with a forest of corals, where schools of young grouper, snapper, and other fish find protection from predators."
If there is a positive side to the plight of today's coral reefs it's that damaged coral has a propensity to fight back and recover from stress. However, as climate change results in increasing temperatures in the world's oceans, thus triggering one of the greatest threats to the health of coral reefs, it's still a big guess as to whether coral can survive such sustained trauma.
The critical need to protect our planet - especially our environment so that it can serve and sustain future generations - is a core part of NPG's mission. There is no question that the world must answer the alarms that are sounding today when it comes to the threats to coral reefs. Mankind can definitely not afford to risk the potential wide-ranging damage that will result and threaten the future of marine life and fisheries.
NPG is committed to staying active in monitoring coral reef biodiversity and standing united with our partners in the environmental and scientific communities to demand responsible polices that put sustainability of vulnerable coral reefs ahead of special interests such as overfishing, tourism, or the gas and oil industry.
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