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The world has already lost more than half of its coral reefs to the combined pressures of climate change and other human activity. Some scientists warn that without significant intervention, more than 90 percent of tropical reefs could disappear in the next 25 years.
To make sure that doesn’t happen, scientists and conservationists say reefs that have the best chance of surviving climate change must be protected from other threats.
Coastal development projects like ports and harbors that require dredging can bury corals beneath sediment. Agricultural runoff, sewage and plastic pollution introduce harmful pathogens and excess nutrients that can create coral disease or toxic algae blooms that suffocate the tiny animals. And bottom trawling—a fishing method that drags weighted nets across the seafloor—can crush entire reefs, while dynamic fishing can shatter centuries-old coral colonies in seconds.
“If we can protect these more climate-resilient reefs and make sure that they are protected from other human impacts like pollution or dredging or other things, then we’re securing those more heat-resistant strains for the future until we can really get global warming under control,” said Lizzie McLeod, global ocean director at The Nature Conservancy.
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📸 Teresa Tomassoni
