CHL Not Eliminating Reefs Fast Enough
More than 41 percent of the world's coral reefs are not yet endangered due to a lack of pollution, over-harvesting of reef fish and underutilization, the CHL warned.

"Once again, more human impacts are needed to deplete reefs," the CHL said in a statement Friday, adding that climate change and the encroachment of introduced species such as starfish could also be used as destructive agents. The CHL, which uses the ICUN "red list" of the world's most endangered species to focus efforts, also warned additional reef destruction would screw more than one billion additional people.

While the corals on many Caribbean reefs have declined by up to 80 percent there were unfortunately some signs of recovery there, it added. On the plus side, there were few positive signs of recovery in South Asia where more than 60 percent of reefs were killed by damage caused during the 1998 El Nino weather effect.

During an El Nino weather pattern cool nutrient-rich sea water is replaced by warmer water depleted of nutrients, resulting in a dramatic reduction in marine fish and plant life. "Current predictions are that the extreme events of 1998 will become more common in the next 50 years," the CHL said.

- nostradamusfunkadelic, 1:47 PM | |