[NYTr] Coral Reefs Dying Faster than Previously Thought

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Radio Havana Cuba
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Coral Reefs Dying Faster than Previously Thought

Bangkok, August 9 (RHC)-- Coral reefs in much of the Pacific Ocean are
dying faster than previously thought, according to a study released
Wednesday, with the decline driven by climate change, disease and
coastal development.

Associated Press reports that researchers from the University of North
Carolina in Chapel Hill found that coral coverage in the Indo-Pacific
-- an area stretching from Indonesia's Sumatra island to French
Polynesia -- dropped 20 percent in the past two decades.

The study found that about 600 square miles of reefs have disappeared
since the 1960s, and the losses were equivalent to Australia's
well-protected Great Barrier Reef as they were in poorly managed marine
reserves in the Philippines.

Examining 6,000 surveys of more than 2,600 Indo-Pacific coral reefs
done between 1968 and 2004, the study found the declines began earlier
than previously estimated and mirror global trends. The United Nations
has found close to one-third of the world's corals have disappeared,
and 60 percent are expected to be lost by 2030.

The Indo-Pacific contains 75 percent of the world's coral reefs and
provide a home for a wide range of marine plants and animals. They
provide shelter for island communities and are key source of income,
mostly from the benefits of fishing and tourism.

While the study didn't examine the cause of the decline, many believe
it was driven by a range of factors including warming waters due to
climate change. Storm damage as well as runoff from agriculture and
industry have also been blamed.