Report: 75% of Coral Reefs Threatened

The beautiful ocean wonders of coral reefs have become increasingly more threatened in the last 10 years. The rate of threatened reefs has increased by 30% up to 75%. This could greatly impact the many countries that depend on ocean ecosystems to sustain their lifestyles. Overfishing, destructive fishing, coastal development, and watershed and marine-based pollution, along with the rising temperatures of ocean water, has led to the threat of coral reefs. Over 60% of the world's reefs are in danger, but surprisingly, the largest reef, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, has the lowest threat level of 14%. Many Pacific and Caribbean islands rely on reefs for fishing, tourism, and coastal protection, thus the threats on the reefs pose a great danger to these islands. There is no direct prevention plan in place yet to help with this issue, but the continued actions of reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be beneficial, along with trying to regulate and prevent the local threats of overfishing and destructive fishing.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/02/25/world.coral.reefs/index.html

-Kristine Zizis