Coral reefs threatened with extinction

[Still Waters]

GENEVA (AFP) - A third of reef-building corals worldwide are threatened with extinction due to climate change and water pollution, according to the first global assessment on the marine creature by 39 scientists.

Destructive fishing and the degradation of coastal habitats also posed threats, said the study published Thursday involving the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Conservation International.

"The results of this study are very disconcerting," said Kent Carpenter, lead author of the study which examined 845 coral reef species.

"When corals die off, so do the other plants and animals that depend on coral reefs for food and shelter, and this can lead to the collapse of entire ecosystems," he added.

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[_Chez_]

GENEVA (AFP) - A third of reef-building corals worldwide are threatened with extinction due to climate change and water pollution, according to the first global assessment on the marine creature by 39 scientists.

Destructive fishing and the degradation of coastal habitats also posed threats, said the study published Thursday involving the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Conservation International.

"The results of this study are very disconcerting," said Kent Carpenter, lead author of the study which examined 845 coral reef species.

"When corals die off, so do the other plants and animals that depend on coral reefs for food and shelter, and this can lead to the collapse of entire ecosystems," he added.

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Thank you for a great post to try to raise awareness of this sad fact, of another detrimental outcome of our abuse of our planet.

This one is something that is very sad as very few people will ever get to see these things in ther natural habitat, as a diver I am one of the lucky ones !

We can only hope that people start to listen and see the damage we cause, only we (as people) can make the people who represent us (as government) start to make changes to reverse the effects we cause.

WE LIVE IN HOPE !