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 …
An $8-million (roughly P352-million) project has been launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) for the expedited establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Marine Protected Area Networks (MPANs) in key marine biodiversity areas. The Marine Key Biodiversity …
A “dementor” wasp named after the Harry Potter creatures, a stick insect more than half a metre long, and a colour-changing thorny frog are among new species discovered in South East Asia’s Greater Mekong region. The discoveries also include a bent-toed gecko which is the 10,000th reptile to be recorded …
CHINA Coast Guard is warning of a rise in the poaching of wild coral, saying yesterday that it has detained 80 suspects and confiscated red coral worth over 100 million yuan (US$16 million) since March last year. Red coral, highly valued as jewelry, grows only three to four centimeters in …
Rotational harvesting is one of the oldest management strategies applied to terrestrial and marine natural resources, with crop rotations dating back to the time of the Roman Empire. The efficacy of this strategy for sessile marine species is of considerable interest given that these resources are vital to underpin food …
The federal government has finalised a ban on the dumping of sediment from new dredging projects into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef, as a decision looms on whether the ecosystem will be listed as “in danger” by the UN. Greg Hunt, the federal environment minister, said he has …
The case against building Australia’s largest coal mine has focused on the threats of runaway climate change and ruin of the Great Barrier Reef. But finances may yet prove the key. Leading economists and City analysts are baffled by plans from India’s Adani Group to build the A$16.5bn (£8.4bn, $13.2bn) …
Frantic efforts to avoid adverse status for reef which could foil government plans to open up vast region in Queensland for new coal mines The Australian government is undertaking frantic diplomatic efforts to avoid the Great Barrier Reef being listed as “in danger” by the UN, amid rising international concern …
The Abbott government has provided another year’s funding for its major greenhouse gas reduction policy – the emissions reduction fund. The fund, which pays for reverse auctions to buy abatement directly from willing sellers, had been allocated $299.8m in 2015-16 , $354.5m in 2016-17 and $416.9m in 2017-18. The 2015 …
Government programs have yet to have any positive effect on the Great Barrier Reef, conservationists say, with federal funding only a fraction of what is needed to tackle chemical pollution, conservationists say. WWF-Australia said the federal budget, the last before Unesco decides next month whether to list the reef as …
The government of Belize is considering new regulations that would allow offshore drilling in 99% of its territorial waters, a move which environmental groups say would threaten the second-largest coral reef in the world. The draft regulations would allow companies to undertake offshore exploration for oil and gas near the …
Like a jock beefing up for a big game, some corals could do far better at withstanding the heavy blows of climate change when pumped with supplements, according to a new University of Miami study. The study looked at endangered staghorn coral, a fast-growing branching coral that once provided the …
The resilience of U.S. coastal communities to storms, flooding, erosion and other threats can be strengthened when they are protected by natural infrastructure such as marshes, reefs, and beaches, or with hybrid approaches, such as a “living shoreline” — a combination of natural habitat and built infrastructure, according to a …
An international team of scientists has used the 23-million-year fossil record to calculate which marine animals and ecosystems are most at risk of extinction today. In a paper published in the journal Science, the researchers found those animals and ecosystems most threatened are predominantly in the tropics. “Marine species are …
As if climate change and pollution weren’t bad enough, overfishing is making a mess of the Great Barrier Reef, the latest research from James Cook University in Queensland, Australia, published Tuesday, has found. Researchers discovered that the removal of certain predatory species like coral trout and snapper from the food …
Removing species such as coral trout and snapper weakens the Great Barrier Reef’s ecosystem and resilience, a new James Cook University study finds Commercial and recreational fishing is imposing a toll on the Great Barrier Reef’s food chain, researchers say. A study produced at James Cook University has found removing …
The Philippines on Monday said China's reclamation work in the South China Sea had destroyed about 300 acres (1.2 sq km) of coral reef, causing annual estimated losses of $100 million to coastal nations. China's rapid reclamation around seven reefs in the Spratly archipelago has alarmed other claimants, such as …
It turns out that the dispersant that was used to help the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico may be more toxic to deep corals than the oil itself. Scientists have discovered the cold-water corals could very well suffer for years to come. About five million …
It is no secret that in the midst of climate change, coral reefs around the world are suffering. However, a warming world is not the only factor putting these reefs in danger - overfishing also plagues these colorful ecosystems. And now new research offers a glimmer of hope, finding that …
Just after recent research warned that the world's most iconic ecosystems, including the Great Barrier Reef, may collapse under climate change, a new study is saying that this iconic site can in fact be saved. Researchers took a closer look at the effects ocean acidification has on coral, and have …
A Queensland court will hear evidence of how plans to build Australia's biggest coal mine in the Galilee Basin could damage the Great Barrier Reef. Conservation group Coast and Country has launched a legal challenge to plans by Indian giant Adani to build the $16.5 billion mine and export at …
