Coral Reef Concerns

Worldwide, coral reefs are in decline from causes such as overfishing, pollution, climate change, and ocean acidification. Healthy coral reefs are diverse ecosystems that support major industries such as fisheries and tourism, provide habitat for thousands of other species, act as a natural buffer against waves and storms in coastal areas, and supply biopharmaceuticals.

Recently, the Zoological Society of London reported that scientists are concerned that reefs may face extinction within this century, primarily due to ocean acidification from rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The effects of declining coral reefs would be devastating on marine ecosystems. Scientists fear we are nearing a tipping point where reefs would begin an irreversible decline. As Alex Rodgers, scientist with the Zoological Society of London and the International Programme on the State of the Ocean says:

“The kitchen is on fire and it’s spreading round the house. If we act quickly and decisively we may be able to put it out before the damage becomes irreversible. That is where corals are now.”

Dire predictions are being made for coral reefs in the Caribbean over the coming months. Scientists are concerned that the warmer-than-average temperatures will lead to further severe bleaching events. Coral bleaching happens when corals expel zooxanthellae, algae that live within coral cells and provide the corals with color as well as vital nutrients via photosynthesis. Warm temperatures seem to precipitate these bleaching events, and because corals rely on these algae for photosynthesis, bleaching episodes can lead to coral mortality. Corals are able to bounce back from bleaching episodes, but resilience likely depends on the absence of concomitant stressors such as pollution. Careful fisheries management is also hypothesized to help coral reefs recover from bleaching events.

I've only recently discovered the joys coral reefs via snorkeling holidays, and was saddened to read such dire predictions for the future of coral reefs. Aesthetic values aside, we need health coral reefs and healthy oceans. Let's hope changes can be made in time to save coral reefs.

Image of coral reef at Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii; ©Lianne McLeod

Why Biodiversity Matters

"We can't live without life support" is the title of an article in the Daily Gleaner, and a remarkably concise, but accurate, statement about the importance of biodiversity. The authors of this piece, Graham Forbes and Laurence D.M. Packer, go on to say

"Biodiversity is the means towards clean water, abundant wildlife, resilience to damage caused by human activity and the productivity of agriculture, fisheries and forestry."

The value of biodiversity, both in terms of its intrinsic value and what it provides to people was the driving force behind the development of the Convention on Biological Diversity, an international treaty signed by nearly every country in the world. 2010 was declared the International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations, marked by goals to diminish the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. Frustratingly, little progress has been made toward these 2010 Targets; if anything, threats to biodiversity are only getting worse. According to a report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, 16 928 species are threatened with extinction -- of just the 2.7 percent of described species analyzed in the report. That's about one third of amphibians, a quarter of mammals, and one eighth of bird species.

Conservation is not only about saving endangered species -- it is about saving functional ecosystems that are vitally important for all of us. In the short term, those of us in developed nations may feel insulated from the loss of biodiversity, but it is the world's poorest nations that are most dependent on biodiversity for food and numerous other vital ecosystem services, and for many people, the loss of biodiversity is catastrophic. Saving biodiversity matters very much.