Key coral reefs 'could disappear'
By Lucy Williamson
BBC News, Manado, Indonesia The world’s most important coral region is in danger of being wiped out by the end of this century unless fast action is taken, says a new report. The international conservation group WWF warns that 40% of reefs in the Coral Triangle have already been lost. The area is shared between Indonesia and five other south-east Asian nations and is thought to contain 75% of the world’s coral species. It is likened to the Amazon rainforest in terms of its biodiversity. … “Up until now we haven’t realized how quickly this system is changing,” says Professtor Hoegh-Guldberg. “In the last 40 years in the Coral Triangle, we’ve lost 40% of coral reefs and mangroves – and that’s probably an underestimate. We’ve fundamentally changed the way the planet works in terms of currents and this is only with a 0.7 degree change in terms of temperature. “What’s going to happen when we exceed two or four or six?” …
