Caribbean corals could vanish over next 20 years: report
Caribbean corals could vanish over next 20 years: report
July 2, 2014 1:23 pm
GENEVA - Caribbean coral reefs could disappear within 20 years as overfishing has all but wiped out the fish that feast on coral-smothering algae, the UN and an international conservation watchdog warned Wednesday.
Just a sixth of the original coral cover exists today in the region, which is home to nine per cent of the world’s coral reefs, according to study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the UN’s environment agency.
The report warned that "Caribbean coral reefs have suffered massive losses of corals since the early 1980s due to a wide range of human impacts" such as overfishing, pollution and global warming.
In the past 40 years alone, 50 Caribbean reefs have been wiped out, the study showed, adding that "most Caribbean coral reefs may disappear in the next 20 years".
"The rate at which Caribbean corals have been declining is truly alarming," said Carl Gustaf Lundin, who heads the IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Caribbean-corals-could-vanish-over-next-20-years-r-30237570.html
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
2-Jul-2014
From despair to repair: Dramatic decline of Caribbean corals can be reversed
If we stop killing parrotfish we can bring back Caribbean coral reefs
Gland, Switzerland – With only about one-sixth of the original coral cover left, most Caribbean coral reefs may disappear in the next 20 years, primarily due to the loss of grazers in the region, according to the latest report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The report, Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012, is the most detailed and comprehensive study of its kind published to date – the result of the work of 90 experts over the course of three years. It contains the analysis of more than 35,000 surveys conducted at 90 Caribbean locations since 1970, including studies of corals, seaweeds, grazing sea urchins and fish.
The results show that the Caribbean corals have declined by more than 50% since the 1970s. But according to the authors, restoring parrotfish populations and improving other management strategies, such as protection from overfishing and excessive coastal pollution, could help the reefs recover and make them more resilient to future climate change impacts.
"The rate at which the Caribbean corals have been declining is truly alarming," says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN's Global Marine and Polar Programme. "But this study brings some very encouraging news: the fate of Caribbean corals is not beyond our control and there are some very concrete steps that we can take to help them recover."
More:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-07/tca-fdt070114.php