 |
|
WWF Study Says Climate Change Could Displace Millions In Asia's Coral Triangle
May 14, 2009Coral reefs could disappear entirely from the Coral Triangle region of the Pacific Ocean by the end of the century, threatening the food supply and livelihoods for about 100 million people, according to a new study from World Wildlife Fund.
Averting catastrophe will depend on quick and effective global action on climate change coupled with the implementation of regional solutions to problems of over-fishing and pollution, according to The Coral Triangle and Climate Change: Ecosystems, People and Societies at Risk, a WWF-commissioned study presented at the World Oceans Conference in Manado, Indonesia today.
"This area is the planet's crown jewel of coral diversity and we are watching it disappear before our eyes," said Catherine Plume, Director of the Coral Triangle Program for WWF-US. "But as this study shows, there are opportunities to prevent this tragedy while sustaining the livelihoods of millions who rely on its riches."
The report offers two dramatically different scenarios for the Coral Triangle, which is comprised of the coasts, reefs and seas of the countries of Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. The Coral Triangle occupies
Just one percent of the Earth's surface, but is home to fully 30 percent of the world's coral reefs, 76 percent of reef-building coral species and more than 35 percent of coral reef fish species. It is also serves as vital spawning grounds for other economically important fish such as tuna.
"In one scenario, we continue along our current climate trajectory and do little to protect coastal environments from the onslaught of local threats," said Queensland University Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, who led the study. "In this world, people see the biological treasures of the Coral Triangle destroyed over the course of the century by rapid increases in ocean temperature, acidity and sea level, while the resilience of coastal environments also deteriorates under faltering coastal management. Poverty increases, food security plummets, economies suffer and coastal people migrate increasingly to urban areas."
The report also highlighted opportunities to avoid a worst-case scenario in the region through significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and international investment in strengthening the region's natural environments, solutions that would help to build a resilient and robust Coral Triangle in which economic growth, food security and natural environments are maintained.
"Climate change in the Coral Triangle is challenging but manageable, and the region would respond well to reductions in local environmental stresses from overfishing, pollution, and declining coastal water quality and health," Hoegh-Guldberg said.
Even under the best case scenario however, communities in the region can expect to experience dramatic losses of coral, rising sea level, increased storm activity, severe droughts and reduced food availability from coastal fisheries. But effective management of coastal resources would mean the communities would remain reasonably intact and more resilient in the face of such hardships.
WWF officials said world leaders have a role to play in helping Coral Triangle countries strengthen management of their marine resources and through international action on climate change.
"We must forge a strong international agreement to bring about sharp reductions in greenhouse gases at the UN Climate Conference at Copenhagen in December," Plume said.
World Wildlife Fund
The report offers two dramatically different scenarios for the Coral Triangle, which is comprised of the coasts, reefs and seas of the countries of Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. The Coral Triangle occupies
Just one percent of the Earth's surface, but is home to fully 30 percent of the world's coral reefs, 76 percent of reef-building coral species and more than 35 percent of coral reef fish species. It is also serves as vital spawning grounds for other economically important fish such as tuna.
"In one scenario, we continue along our current climate trajectory and do little to protect coastal environments from the onslaught of local threats," said Queensland University Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, who led the study. "In this world, people see the biological treasures of the Coral Triangle destroyed over the course of the century by rapid increases in ocean temperature, acidity and sea level, while the resilience of coastal environments also deteriorates under faltering coastal management. Poverty increases, food security plummets, economies suffer and coastal people migrate increasingly to urban areas."
The report also highlighted opportunities to avoid a worst-case scenario in the region through significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and international investment in strengthening the region's natural environments, solutions that would help to build a resilient and robust Coral Triangle in which economic growth, food security and natural environments are maintained.
"Climate change in the Coral Triangle is challenging but manageable, and the region would respond well to reductions in local environmental stresses from overfishing, pollution, and declining coastal water quality and health," Hoegh-Guldberg said.
Even under the best case scenario however, communities in the region can expect to experience dramatic losses of coral, rising sea level, increased storm activity, severe droughts and reduced food availability from coastal fisheries. But effective management of coastal resources would mean the communities would remain reasonably intact and more resilient in the face of such hardships.
WWF officials said world leaders have a role to play in helping Coral Triangle countries strengthen management of their marine resources and through international action on climate change.
"We must forge a strong international agreement to bring about sharp reductions in greenhouse gases at the UN Climate Conference at Copenhagen in December," Plume said.
World Wildlife Fund
Coral Reefs Current Events and Coral Reefs News RSSCoral reefs inspire rare consensus -- just save them
One of the first set of studies to examine what tourists and recreation enthusiasts actually think about coral reef ecosystems suggests they are a rare exception to controversies over human use versus environmental conservation - their stunning beauty is so extraordinary that almost everyone wants them protected in perpetuity.
Calm before the spawn: Climate change and coral spawning
What's the point of setting up marine reserves to protect coral reefs from pollution, ship groundings and overfishing if climate change could cause far more damage? A study published this week in London in Proceedings of the Royal Society B provides the answer.
The white stuff: Marine lab team seeks to understand coral bleaching
With technology similar to that used by physicians to perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, researchers from six institutions-including the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-working at the Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML) in Charleston, S.C., are studying the metabolic activity of a pathogen shown to cause coral bleaching, a serious threat to undersea reef ecosystems worldwide.
What are coral reef services worth? $130,000 to $1.2 million per hectare, per year: experts
Experts concluding the global DIVERSITAS biodiversity conference today in Cape Town described preliminary research revealing jaw-dropping dollar values of the "ecosystem services" of biomes like forests and coral reefs - including food, pollution treatment and climate regulation.
Coral bleaching increases chances of coral disease
Mass coral bleaching has devastated coral colonies around the world for almost three decades. Now scientists have found that bleaching can make corals more susceptible to disease and, in turn, coral disease can exacerbate the negative effects of bleaching.
Combining sun, sand and science in the Bahamas
It is well known that people from all over the world come to the Bahamas to enjoy the pristine waters, spectacular coral reefs and great fishing.
Man-made crises 'outrunning our ability to deal with them,' scientists warn
The world faces a compounding series of crises driven by human activity, which existing governments and institutions are increasingly powerless to cope with, a group of eminent environmental scientists and economists has warned.
Time to tap climate-change-combating potential of the world's ecosystems
Investing in restoration and maintenance of the Earth's multi-trillion dollar ecosystems - from forests and mangroves to wetlands and river basins - can have a key role in countering climate change and climate-proofing vulnerable economies.
Bridging the political divide across the Gulf of Aqaba
Scientists from Stanford University have teamed up with Israeli and Jordanian researchers to protect the Gulf of Aqaba, a strategic waterway whose fragile marine ecosystem is vital to both Israel and Jordan.
Naming evolution's winners and losers
Mammals and many species of birds and fish are among evolution's "winners," while crocodiles, alligators and a reptile cousin of snakes known as the tuatara are among the losers, according to new research by UCLA scientists and colleagues.
More Coral Reefs Current Events and Coral Reefs News Articles
 |
IMAX Coral Reef Adventure Starring: Liam Neeson, Howard Hall, Michele Hall, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Rusi Vulakoro Directed By: Greg MacGillivray Take a once in a lifetime journey across the South Pacific for a spectacular IMAX adventure. Joy; ecstasy; a spiritual high: these words describe the exhilaration of diving a pristine coral reef, and ocean explorers Howard and Michele Hall bring their love of the ocean into action. With Jean-Michael Cousteau, deep reef scientist Richard Pyle and Fijian diver Rusi Vulakoro, they explore and capture on film the dazzling underwater world of coral reefs, magical places here on Earth. This tropical excursion through the South Pacific will surprise and delight you as you fall in love with the reefs, and your heart will ache at the tragic, irretrievable loss of these fragile worlds. |
 |
Coral Reefs (World Life Library) by Charles Sheppard (Author) "Coral Reefs" is a must-have for nature enthusiasts, environmentalists and ocean lovers. This book is an excellent general introduction to coral reefs and is full of fascinating facts and fabulous four-color photographs. It presents scientific insights and information in a way that is not only readable but highly enjoyable to a popular audience. This book explores the major regions where coral reefs live, which include the Bahamas Bank in the greater Caribbean region, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Great Barrier Reef, the largest reef structure in the world. Readers will become familiar with the interlocking web of life that the reefs support, as well as how the reefs form and grow. About one third of the world's reefs have been killed or nearly so by abuse and... |
![Coral Reef Adventure (IMAX) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sSJ-bc3fL._SL160_.jpg) |
Coral Reef Adventure (IMAX) [Blu-ray] Starring: Liam Neeson, Howard Hall, Michele Hall, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Rusi Vulakoro Directed By: Greg MacGillivray Take a once-in-a-lifetime journey across the South Pacific for a spectacular IMAX adventure. Joy, ecstasy, a spiritual high: these words describe the exhilaration of diving a pristine coral reef, and ocean explorers Howard and Michele Hall bring their love of the ocean into action. With Jean-Michael Cousteau, deep reef scientist Richard Pyle and Fijian diver Rusi Vulakoro, they explore and capture on film the dazzling underwater world of coral reefs, magical places here on Earth. This tropical excursion through the South Pacific will surprise and delight you as you fall in love with the reefs, and your heart will ache at the tragic, irretrievable loss of these fragile worlds. |
|
Coral Reefs by Gail Gibbons (Author), Gail Gibbons (Illustrator) Marine biologists believe coral reefs existed 400 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Today this active environment is home to about 20,000 kinds of brilliantly coloured corals, plants, and animals-more sea creatures than are found anywhere else in the world. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is so large that astronauts can see it from outer space! But what is life like in a coral reef? What do corals eat? Why are corals more colourful at nighttime? Children will enjoy Gibbon's informative text and clear, detailed illustrations on this journey into the unique lives of coral reefs. | |
 |
Underwater Blue Coral Reef Wall Sticker Mural by Instant Murals Love that fabulous look of custom painted wall murals and expensive hand-painted furniture you see in all the best home decorating magazines? Ever wish you had your own personal mural artist or decorator to help you create your very own personalized designs? Wish you had the time, talent, or budget to create exciting, whimsical one-of-a-kind bedrooms or playrooms for the kids? Looking for something easy, but snappy and fun for a couple of dull, boring rooms?These Murals Designs are an exciting and fun new way to personalize and decorate your walls and furniture, create stunning one of a kind accessories and more - let your imagination run wild with possibilities. The peel and stick self adhesive vinyl designs will give you the flexibility of creating a custom look, with all the details of... |
 |
World Atlas of Coral Reefs by Mark D. Spalding (Author), Edmund P. Green (Author), Corinna Ravilious (Author) Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse habitats in the world, host to an extraordinary variety of marine plants and animals. They are also one of the world's most fragile and endangered ecosystems. The growth of mass tourism, combined with the boom in popularity of scuba diving, has brought these spectacular ecosystems to public attention across the planet. Coral reefs provide essential fish habitat, support endangered and threatened species, and harbor protected marine mammals and turtles. They are a significant source of food, provide income and employment through tourism and marine recreation, and offer countless other benefits to humans, including supplying compounds for pharmaceuticals. Yet coral reefs around the world are rapidly being degraded by a... |
 |
Plasmaquarium Vol. II Ultra Coral Reef Aquarium DVD (Widescreen) Starring: Hundreds of Exotic Fish! Directed By: Chris Gordon Works on ALL TVs! From the studio that created the best-selling Plasmaquarium Aquarium DVD and the Plasmavironments Fireplace DVD.... Turn ANY TV into an Exotic Coral Reef with the Plasmaquarium 2 - Ultra Coral Reef DVD! The Plasmaquarium 2 - Ultra Coral Reef DVD features hundreds of exotic fish, including dozens of species in ELEVEN different Coral Reef scenes. We sent our award winning Plasma Window cinematography crew deep off the coast of the Phillipines to one of the world's most spectactular Coral Reefs: Panglao on Bohol, amongst Asia's second largest Coral Reefs. The spectacular widescreen images were captured on a Sony 1080i professional High Definition camera mounted in a special underwater housing, thus procucing images with... |
 |
A Field Guide to Coral Reefs: Caribbean and Florida (Peterson Field Guide Series) by Eugene H. Kaplan (Author), Roger Tory Peterson (Editor), Susan L. Kaplan (Editor) With more than 500 species described and more than 400 illustrations, this guide provides quick and easy visual identification of fishes, mollusks, sponges, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, and much more of the fauna found on the coral reefs of the Caribbean and Florida. |
![Blu Sea Trilogy: Dolphins/The Living Sea/Coral Reef Adventure [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51rgh5JbiNL._SL160_.jpg) |
Blu Sea Trilogy: Dolphins/The Living Sea/Coral Reef Adventure [Blu-ray] Starring: Liam Neeson, Jean-Michael Cousteau, Pierce Brosnan, Sting Also With: Meryl Streep (Performer) Includes the following: Coral Reef Adventure Take a once-in-a-lifetime journey across the South Pacific for a spectacular IMAX adventure. Joy, ecstasy, a spiritual high: these words describe the exhilaration of diving a pristine coral reef, and ocean explorers Howard and Michele Hall bring their love of the ocean into action. With Jean-Michael Cousteau, deep reef scientist Richard Pyle and Fijian diver Rusi Vulakoro, they explore and capture on film the dazzling underwater world of coral reefs, magical places here on Earth. This tropical excursion through the South Pacific will surprise and delight you as you fall in love with the reefs, and your heart will ache at the tragic, irretrievable loss of these fragile worlds. The Living Sea The Living Sea takes you to the world's oceans,... |
 |
Coral Reef (DK 24 HOURS) by DK Publishing (Author) Following the cycle of life from the animals' point of view, this new series approaches the natural world in a completely unique way. Written in a conversational style that will draw in readers of all ages, DK 24 Hours let you get up close and personal with the natural world. |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |