Coral reefs have exceptional levels of biodiversity and provide important social and ecological services, including food, coastal protection, recreation, tourism, and cultural connections. However, local stressors and climate change are causing a sharp decline in coral reefs and the more than 230 international agreements with coral reef provisions have failed …
Coral reefs have exceptional levels of biodiversity and provide important social and ecological services, including food, coastal protection, recreation, tourism, and cultural connections. However, local stressors and climate change are causing a sharp decline in coral reefs and the more than 230 international agreements with coral reef provisions have failed …
The small state of Goa, is endowed with a dazzling array of marine biodiversity along its coastline. These species span across the open waters off Goa’s coast, to the reefs of Grande Island, they inhabit coastal mangroves, and can even be found all along Goa’s popular seashores. This biological treasure …
Coral reefs are one of the most ancient, highly productive marine bio-diverse ecosystems on earth. They are threatened to collapse under rapid climate change. ENSO is an extreme climate change event which elevates sea-surface temperature (SST) of tropical oceans. This elevated SST increases the level of thermal stress on coral …
United Nations Environment today announced a shortlist of regional finalists for the Young Champions of the Earth prize. The global competition aims to identify, support and celebrate outstanding individuals aged between 18 and 30 with big ideas to protect or restore the environment. From more than 900 applicants, the top …
Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Compliance of Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 (Union Territory of Lakshadweep) dated 14/05/2019 regarding solid waste management and allied issues in Lakshadweep. A status report filed before the Tribunal informs that forty four waste assessment workers and 330 sweepers …
The environment has emerged as a major issue for Australian voters, a poll showed on Sunday, but healthcare and the cost of living are the top concerns ahead of next month's elections. For 32 percent of Australians, access to affordable health services is the biggest worry, followed by the cost …
The Indonesian government has established three new marine protected areas within the Coral Triangle, home to the highest diversity of corals and reef fishes anywhere on the planet. The declaration of the three new zones, spanning a combined 226 square kilometers (87 square miles), was made on April 2. They’re …
The Western Indian Ocean, comprising nine African countries and Réunion (an island under France), has a 10 000 km stretch of coastline with crystal clear waters and rich coral reefs. But these marine and wildlife ecosystems, which are interdependent with the health, food security and national economies of over 200 …
Researchers have documented what they are describing as the most severe coral bleaching to hit the world’s southern-most reef at Lord Howe Island. Scientists from Newcastle University, James Cook University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have spent the past two weeks surveying corals around the island in the …
The shallow coral reef ecosystems along the Indian coast are being threatened by anthropogenic global ocean warming and increased frequency of coral bleaching in the recent past. Identification and conservation of deeper reef habitats are essential as they serve as a source of larvae and livestock to replenish the shallow …
Dirty river run-off is the single greatest impediment to the recovery of the Great Barrier Reef, an Australian research revealed on Tuesday. In the near future, the natural wonder's survival will depend on how well it recovers from catastrophic events such as tropical cyclones, disease outbreaks and coral bleaching -- …
A new marine protected area (MPA) has been founded in the Philippines within what are considered some of the most biologically diverse waters on Earth. The new MPA, which has been given the name Pirasan, was declared by the municipality of Tingloy on Maricaban Island in the Philippines’ Batangas Province. …
The Great Barrier Reef will be better protected from the effects of climate change and pollution under new laws passed by the Australian State government of Queensland on Wednesday. The laws target agricultural and other sources of runoff from industry in Queensland which decreases water quality and threatens the health …
New findings released offer a compelling business case for investing in the protection of the world’s coral reefs, with economic benefits stretching into the tens of billions in just over a decade. Focussing on two of the world’s major coral reef areas, the Coral Triangle and the Mesoamerican Reef, the …
A new TRAFFIC study has shed light on the trade in precious corals in East Asia, revealing that inconsistent trade data and questionable harvesting practices could threaten vulnerable species. Precious corals have been harvested and traded internationally since as early as pre-dynastic Egypt, valued for their beauty by diverse cultures …
In 2013, the remote Tubbataha Reef UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the western Philippines, experienced two ship groundings within four months: the USS Guardian (USSG), a US military vessel, and the Min Ping Yu (MPY), an illegal Chinese fishing vessel. Here, we present the results of coral disease assessments completed …
Last year was the warmest ever recorded on Earth that didn’t feature an El Niño, a periodic climatic event that warms the Pacific Ocean, according to the annual state of the climate report by 500 climate scientists from around the world, overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) …
Prior to the back-to-back bleaching events that hit the Great Barrier Reef in 2016 and 2017, the UNESCO World Heritage Site had suffered two other bouts of extensive bleaching in the past two decades, one in 1998 and another in 2002. The damage done to the Great Barrier Reef by …
The Great Barrier Reef has become a notorious victim of climate change. But it is not the only Australian ecosystem on the brink of collapse Our research, recently published in Nature Climate Change, describes a series of sudden and catastrophic ecosystem shifts that have occurred recently across Australia. These changes, …
More than half a million hectares of forest was cleared in the Great Barrier Reef catchments over four years – an area more than twice the size of the Australian Capital Territory. Official environment and energy department data shows that 596,000 hectares of forest was cleared between 1 July 2012 …
