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Extinction risk not the answer for reef futures
http://www.coralcoe.org.au/news/extinction-risk-not-the-answer-for-reef-futures[font face=Serif]Posted on November 17, 2014
[font size=5]Extinction risk not the answer for reef futures[/font]
[font size=3]Coral and reef fishes are not like pandas and tigers, and the extinction risks they face are much lower. Leading coral reef scientists in Australia and the USA say there needs to be a new approach to protecting the future of marine ecosystems, with a shift away from the current focus on extinction threat.
“Extinction is the final endpoint, but coral reefs are in deep trouble long before we get to that point. We need to take action much earlier,” says Professor David Bellwood from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at James Cook University.
“The goal should be to maintain reefs that can support corals, fish and humans” Professor Bellwood says.
In a world first study published in the journal, Current Biology, researchers tested the concept of ‘double jeopardy’, which is widely used to assess extinction risk. It is based on the assumption that the risk of extinction is greater if a species has both a small geographic range and low numbers.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.10.037[font size=5]Extinction risk not the answer for reef futures[/font]
[font size=3]Coral and reef fishes are not like pandas and tigers, and the extinction risks they face are much lower. Leading coral reef scientists in Australia and the USA say there needs to be a new approach to protecting the future of marine ecosystems, with a shift away from the current focus on extinction threat.
“Extinction is the final endpoint, but coral reefs are in deep trouble long before we get to that point. We need to take action much earlier,” says Professor David Bellwood from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at James Cook University.
“The goal should be to maintain reefs that can support corals, fish and humans” Professor Bellwood says.
In a world first study published in the journal, Current Biology, researchers tested the concept of ‘double jeopardy’, which is widely used to assess extinction risk. It is based on the assumption that the risk of extinction is greater if a species has both a small geographic range and low numbers.
…[/font][/font]