A Dream for a Better World

Coral reefs aren’t being protected against climate change despite the protective zones set up to do just that, say researchers.  The No-Take Areas (NTAs) set up in the 1960s and 70s were devised when climate change wasn’t the big deal it is now. These zones have had no effect on the health of the coral and are in the wrong place.  The NTAs are often small, and are surrounded by exploited areas.  The researchers looked at different fish populations in areas that were protected, and areas that weren’t. The results showed that irrespective of body size and trophic categorization, NTAs provided no clear benefits for any of the fish groups in terms of their change in response to coral decline.  The coral reefs are currently suffering from diseases due to warmer oceans because of global warming.  The future for coral reefs looks bleak.

America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a stark warning on the nation’s coral reefs recently.  US reefs near human populations face intense threats while even the most remote reefs are troubled, it says. The massive 2008 state of coral reef ecosystems report says a conservative message would be that nearly half of reefs are not in good condition and are in long-term decline.  The report shows that this is a global issue.  While the report indicates reefs in general are healthier in the Pacific than the Atlantic, even remote reefs are subject to threats stemming from climate change, as well as illegal fishing and marine debris.