Scientists say bolder actions to protect coral reefs from the effects of global warming will benefit all ecosystems, including those on land.
In an article published in Nature today two researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University (Coral CoE at JCU) say the world’s reefs will disappear by 2070 if climate change continues on its current path. Even well-protected World Heritage-listed coral reefs have been increasingly damaged by regional and global bleaching since 1980.
Prof Tiffany Morrison and Prof Terry Hughes suggest a new, holistic approach to safeguarding coral reefs by focussing on land as well as the ocean.
“We must take a new, bolder approach to tackle the underlying causes of coral reef decline,” lead author Prof Morrison said. “This means fixing the causes on a global, as well as local, scale—both in the sea and on land.”
Read more at ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
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