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 …
Climate change is presenting a further and wide-ranging challenge with new and emerging threats to the sustainability and productivity of a key economic and environmental resource. This report attempts to focus the numerous impacts on the marine environment in order to assess how multiple stresses including climate change might shape …
Aerial extent and distribution pattern of seagrass meadows in the Mandapam group of islands viz. Pamban area of Rameshwaram, Krusadai, Pullivasal and Pumarichan Island of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve were studied. Visual interpretation and digital analysis of satellite data viz. IRS 1D LISS III (2000 and 2002) and …
Sea cucumbers are tube-shaped marine animals belonging to the echinoderm group, which includes starfish. They are commonly found moving slowly along the sea floor in shallows like tide pools and coral reefs. They feed on algae and plankton, and are in turn prized in certain east Asian cuisines. Getting on …
The coral reefs of the world, on which the news focus section of this issue of Science concentrates, are important for all sorts of reasons. For many, exploration by diving provides a unique connection with a fascinating natural ecosystem. For scientists, including climate scientists, the health of reefs provides insight …
The South Pacific nations recently agreed to stop bottom trawling to protect corals and other marine life. Bottom trawling is a fishing method where boats tow heavy trawl nets along the sea floor. This destroys coral reefs and stirs up the sediments suffocating marine life. The agreement, reached on May …
This report presents several case studies from selected natural and cultural World Heritage sites around the globe in order to illustrate the impacts of climate change that have already been observed and those that can be expected in the future. For each of the featured sites, ongoing and planned adaptation …
an endangered creature holds the key to arresting the decline of coral reefs. It is the batfish (Platax pinnatus). This timid fish has a surprising capacity of cleaning up dense weedy strands that smother inshore coral reefs and result in a macro-algal dominance over it. This overgrowth of macro-algal weeds …
coastal mangroves and green belts offer little or no protection against the power of a tsunami, according to a recent study. Conducted by the arc Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in Australia, the University of Guam, and the Wildlife Conservation Society-Indonesia Programme, the study …
The wonders of the marine world don't cease to amaze. The latest is a yellow coral, Isis hippuris, collected off the coast of Okinawa island of Japan. The coral has yielded a compound that can slow down and possibly prevent virus replication and also treat cancer. Biochemist Jerry Pelletier of …
STRAIT FORWARD A 150-year-old dream acquires shape The channel across the Palk Straits between India and Sri Lanka is expected to be operational by 2008: it will allow ships sailing between the east and west coasts of India a straight passage through India's territorial waters, instead of circumnavigating Sri Lanka. …
After the deluge, it's usThe bustle's gone out of Tharangambadi. The once-prosperous Dutch-controlled port was before last year's tsunami a contented fishing village
This special report does not seek to paint a comprehensive picture of the state of the oceans. It does not set out to recapitulate the many years of debate on ocean overfishing. WBGU concentrates instead on those key linkages between climate change and the oceans that are the topic of …
Gujarat state has the longest coastline and stands second in mangrove area coverage among all the states of the country. Moreover, recent incidents of tsunami has strengthened the importance of mangroves as a shelterbelt which reduce the impact. This publication provides the insight into the history of mangrove forests, their …
Greenpeace, a non-profit organisation, has apologised for the damage caused to 160 sq metre of coral reef by its ship Rainbow Warrior ii, in Philippines, on October 31, 2005. The reef is a 32,000-hectare formation in the Sulu Sea in central Philippines that is listed by the un Educational, Scientific …
increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are turning the oceans acidic, warns the Royal Society, Britain's leading scientific organisation. The growing acidity is very likely to harm coral reefs and other marine life by the end of the century, the society said in a report prepared by a panel of …
Post-tsunami, expensive coral restoration plans might not be needed after all, says a recent advisory report commissioned by the World Bank (wb) and prepared by scientists led by a researcher from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (unt), the uk. The team has recommended that coral reefs be allowed to …
By increasing the acidity levels of oceans, global warming could spell doom for corals by 2065. Katherine Richardson, a researcher from Denmark's department of marine ecology, gave this warning during the EuroScience Open Forum 2004. According to her, levels of carbon dioxide (co2)
the importance of mangroves as nurseries of coral reef fish has been quantified for the first time in a study published in the journal Nature (Vol 427, No 6974, February 5, 2004). "Beyond showing they (mangroves) are important, we showed they are much more important than assumed,' says Peter Mumby, …
