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Urgent action 'vital' for coral

17 December 2007

Immediate action is urgently needed to protect the world's coral from the effects of climate change, a study has revealed today.

The report is said to be the most comprehensive review to date of the effects that rising ocean temperatures are having on reefs and was conducted by 17 marine scientists from seven different countries.

Earlier this year coral was added to the World Conservation's red list of threatened species for the first time.

Most coral reefs will not survive the drastic increases in global temperatures and atmospheric carbon dioxide, today's study concludes, unless action is taken to reverse current trends.

The disappearance of all but the most resilient coral species is predicted to have a negative impact on marine biodiversity, tourism, fishing industries and the food security of millions of people.

According to the report, coral reef fisheries in Asia currently provide protein for one billion people.

"The science speaks for itself. We have created conditions on Earth unlike anything most species alive today have experienced in their evolutionary history," said report co-author Dr Bob Steneck of the University of Maine.

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