Future of coral reefs
- The World Resources Institute reached the following conclusions in 2021:
By the 2030s, most coral reefs are projected to experience coral bleaching at least twice per decade, and possibly every year by the 2040s. This frequency would prevent coral recovery between episodes. Without drastic change, coral reefs could disappear by 2100.
More than 60% of the world’s coral reefs are under local threat from overfishing/destructive fishing, coastal development, land or marine-based pollution. This increases to 75% if thermal stress is considered (ocean warming linked to climate change).
- Human activities have already caused damage to coral reef systems and climate change is enhancing these impacts
- Mass coral bleaching is becoming more frequent, giving less time for the ecosystem to recover between bleaching events
- In 2016, the northern section of the Great Barrier Reef lost 67% of its corals due to coral bleaching
- Damage to any coral reef puts thousands of other species at risk
- Management of coral reefs needs to be effective to minimise the damage and include:
- Restriction of fishing - number of fish caught is limited, especially protected species
- Commercial fishing pay a fee that funds research, education and management of the reef
- Tourist industry indirectly benefits from the conservation efforts - ecotours to monitor the reef and report on the extent of coral bleaching or numbers of specie diversity
- Limiting of water pollution through land based activity - governments, farmers and industry working together to limit the type and amount of pollutants running off the land into the reef
- Setting up of a reef trust to improve water quality and habitats in and around a reef
- Education of the local people to monitor and protect their reef, and report any changes whilst still be able to support their way of living off the reef
- These local changes are effective but do not tackle the global issue of climate change and sea level rise