Fears of collapse as coral reefs feel the heat

Fears of collapse as coral reefs feel the heat
Under threat... coral can become bleached when water temperatures are too high.
by Marian Wilkinson, Environment Editor
May 13, 2009

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/global-warming/fears-of-collapse-as-coral-reefs-feel-the-heat-20090512-b1u3.html

THE most spectacular stretch of coral reefs on the planet is in danger of collapse from climate change, overfishing and pollution, according to a report being presented today at the World Oceans Conference in Indonesia.

Scientists consider the region known as the "coral triangle" to be the centre of marine life on Earth, teeming with fish and almost one-third of the world's coral reefs. Covering 1 per cent of the planet from South-East Asia to the Pacific, the area also supports about 100 million people.

But in the past 40 years, 40 per cent of the coral reefs and coastal mangroves in the coral triangle have been lost because of pollution, coastal development and overfishing, said a University of Queensland professor, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, who led the study commissioned by WWF.

"It's an astounding amount," Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said. "At the moment the coral reefs are disappearing at about 1 to 2 per cent a year. You don't have to be a brain surgeon to see that within 40 years we could lose the rest. This may sound alarming but this is not alarmist. This is what we are probably going to experience if we don't get our act together".

To read the full article: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/global-warming/fears-of-collapse-as-coral-reefs-feel-the-heat-20090512-b1u3.html