Attention! Coral Reefs close to extinction
Climate change is continuing to threaten every aspect of nature and every possible ecosystem. Now, it is also threatening the coral reef’s ecosystem, since they are vulnerable to habitat change from destructive human activities such as overexploitation, pollution, ineffective governance and coastal development.
Protecting marine life and the reefs indirectly protect the fish. If coral reefs die, so do the fish. The reefs also protect coastlines from waves, storms and floods. Scientists have predicted 90 per cent of coral reefs will be in extinction by 2030.
The United Nation (UN) Environment and its partners have promoted the implementation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to revive the biodiversity of reefs and to secure fish populations, ensuring wide-ranging benefits to people and societies. MPAs are categorised into extractive zones, multipurpose zones and no-take zones.
MPAs can help maintain and restore the health of ocean and coastal ecosystems says UN Environment Ocean’s expert, Ole Vestergaard. “In the long run, using the ocean in a sustainable way is our best option for preserving the abundance of resources that we take from them – the recently announced UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 should help provide impetus to protection efforts.” The last 15 years have seen a 25 per cent increase in designated MPAs. There are currently 14,882 protected areas in 2019, covering 7.6 % of global oceans. The Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14) targets a 10 % increase of MPAs by 2020.
Coral reefs around the globe face uncertain futures as ocean temperatures continue to climb. Warmer waters stress corals, causing them to release symbiotic algae living inside them. This turns typically vibrant-coloured communities of corals white, a process called bleaching. Bleached corals are not dead, but they are at higher risk of dying, and these bleaching events are becoming more common under climate change.
What may seem to people as a minor loss is in fact a chain reaction to bigger and more dangerous losses that the world would have to face if this rate of natural resources depletion continues. So, it’s time for action, because to be compassionate is not enough, not anymore.
