Coral reefs around the world, which support about a quarter of marine life, are facing increasing pressure from severe tropical storms, pollution and widespread bleaching caused by rising ocean temperatures, amid warnings from scientists that they are being subjected to deterioration that may become irreversible.
An analysis based on 45,000 coral reef surveys, along with climate and marine data collected over decades, showed that reefs capable of adapting to climate change exist in 71 countries and 100 regions around the world, including previously unknown locations in the Caribbean, Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Coral reefs are often portrayed as ecosystems that are hopeless to save, but the research findings prove otherwise, said Emily Darling, director of coral reef conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Society and one of the report’s authors.
She added: “Today we know where hope lies, and what we need now is political will.”
This research comes at a time when countries are preparing plans that aim to place 30 percent of terrestrial and marine environments under official protection by the end of the current decade, within an initiative known as “30 by 30,” which allows governments to benefit from new data when setting protection priorities.
During a press conference, Darling explained that only 28 percent of coral reefs are currently located within protected or preserved areas, indicating that there is still an opportunity to strengthen protection efforts, especially with the approaching super-strong El Niño phenomenon.
For her part, Stacey Jupiter, co-author of the study and executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Global Marine Program, said that the new data could help governments direct their limited resources to the most resilient areas, giving these reefs the best chance of survival.
She added that some coral reefs may have declined to levels below the minimum required to maintain ecosystem functions, which may force concerned authorities to make difficult decisions about protection and restoration priorities. (Reuters)
