Hope For Coral Reefs
Globally coral reefs are under threat. Climat change, population growth, and coastal development all pose a greater risk than even to the survival of these critical underwater habitats. But there’s still hope.
Scientist in the Caribbean have been studying the decline of coral reefs since the 1970’s and have noticed a hopeful trend. While most reefs have seen a significant lost of coral coverage, they’ve also found reefs that have shown minimal decline.
What’s even more hopeful still is we are still finishing new coral reefs which are thriving and even rebuilding themselves after natural disasters.
New Reefs
The ocean is a big place and sometimes coral reefs can be hiding right under the surface without us even knowing they exist. As we continue to explore the ocean new reefs are still being discovered, take for example the coral reef in Tela Honduras.
We visited this reef in Spring of 2017, and with over 70% coral coverage there is no doubt this reef is far from a stage of decline. And for such a large healthy reef it’s surprising still that just eight years ago there was no documentation of this reef.
Coral Restoration
Not only are we still discovering new reefs, but a recent study from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School found that coral restations in the Caribbean is working. They have shown that restoration efforts have to lead to an increase in coral coverage without causing damage to exciting habitat or donor colonies.
There’s still hope for corals, and it is important we take the time now to appreciate them while we still have time. To learn more about Caribbean Corals check out our guide to Caribbean Coral Identification.
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