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 are in severe decline. Infections by the human pathogen Serratia marcescens have contributed to precipitous losses in the common Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, culminating in its listing under the United States Endangered Species Act. During a 2003 outbreak of this coral disease, called acroporid serratiosis (APS), a …
The Environment Ministry today designated protected status to another 12 species under the Environment Protection Act. The protected species are all types of turtles found in the Maldives, dolphins, napoleon wrasse, giant clams, black coral, whale sharks, conch, all types of whales and corals, sharks, all types of clams, pregnant …
Carbon dioxide has pillaged the Great Barrier Reef of a compound that corals and many sea creatures need to grow. The finding, from the first survey of ocean acidification around one of the world's greatest natural landmarks, supports fears that the ecosystem is on its last legs. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028083.600-acidic-ocean-robs-coral-of-vital-building-material.html
bio-invasion:The exotic seaweed seen on Krusadai Island. CHENNAI: Coral colonies in the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve are facing serious threat from an invasive seaweed, which is spreading rapidly, say marine researchers, who are worried about the phenomenon. The bio-invasion by the sea weed, Kappaphycus alvarezii, was spread over only …
Coarse resolution palaeoclimate proxy evidence has suggested that the Pliocene warm period (PWP) between 3 million and 5 million years ago was characterized by permanent El Niño conditions in which the equatorial Pacific was uniformly warm, instead of having the modern-day 'cold tongue' extending westward from South America. New high-resolution …
As recently as 100 years ago, an estimated one lakh tigers roamed about in Asia. Today we can only count a few hundreds. For every two tiger skins seized from poachers, there are 20 leopard skins. If this situation continues, many species may become extinct at a rate faster than …
India has a staggering variety of flora and fauna, including some of the rarest species in existence on the planet. There is so far a paucity of information for the general public on the status, biology, and major threats to the endangered species of our country. As per the latest …
In the present study, an assessment of the status of coral reefs along the Pongi Balu coast, south Andaman Islands, which is a part of the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, has been made by scuba diving, low draft glass-bottom boat and visual interpretation in some places during low-tide condition.
This report provides a detailed assessment of the status of & threats to the world’s coral reefs. It evaluates threats to coral reefs from a wide range of human activities, and includes an assessment of climate-related threats to reefs. It also contains global assessment of the vulnerability of nations & …
Maldivian atolls are known for their beautiful coral structures, fish abundance, white sandy beaches, coastal vegetation and mangroves. This paper provides an economic valuation of the recreational uses of atoll-based marine resources in the Republic of the Maldives.
S. Balaji, Chief Conservator of Forests and Director, Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust, GOMBRT, has called upon all stakeholders including government officials to enrich knowledge on marine conservation. Inaugurating a two-day training programme on identification, conservation, and legal issues of marine species in Gulf of Mannar organised by the …
Introduction of non-indigenous alien species is being reported nowadays as one of the most serious and potential sources of stress to the marine systems. They cause disruptions of native communities and detrimental economic impacts on fisheries in many temperate marine areas. This also leads to loss of biodiversity, including species …
Increasing sea surface temperature (SST) and its consequences on marine ecosystems are widely discussed. Andaman Sea witnessed a few bleaching events during 1998, 2002 and 2005. The present study was taken up to assess the extent of bleaching during 2010 in selected reef sites in the Andaman through line intercept …
Meena Menon 40 years ago, it was a fishing village; now it is plagued by environment problems CANCUN: Forty years ago, Cancun was a small fishing village with a few families. There were some holiday homes, but it was a thin island of lush wetland, connected to the mainland by …
While occupying only three per cent of the earth’s surface, the ASEAN region boasts of globally significant terrestrial and marine biodiversity that include an astonishing 18 per cent of all species assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It has the most diverse coral reefs in the …
Officials Swoop Down On Lakshadweep Pavilion, Two Arrested New Delhi: For the second year running, the Delhi government and the People For Animals (PFA) carried out a raid at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) at Pragati Maidan and recovered rare corals from the Lakshadweep pavilion. Two persons were arrested. …
Ocean acidification (OA) refers to the ongoing decline in oceanic pH resulting from the uptake of atmospheric CO2. Mounting experimental evidence suggests that OA will have negative consequences for a variety of marine organisms. Whereas the effect of OA on the calcification of adult reef corals is increasingly well documented, …
Twenty years ago, divers in Dubai could swim through coral gardens teeming with brightly-colored fish and sea turtles. Today, says marine biologist Tom Goreau, dead reefs stand like gravestones for an underwater ghost town. In the United Arab Emirates, some of the world's glitziest building projects, such as the opulent …
