UNEP Report – “Reefs at risk revisited”

Article Type: News From: Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, Volume 22, Issue 4

A new analysis has found that 75 per cent of the world’s coral reefs are currently threatened by local and global pressures. For the first time, the analysis includes threats from climate change, including warming seas and rising ocean acidification. The report shows that local pressures – such as overfishing, coastal development and pollution – pose the most immediate and direct risks, threatening more than 60 per cent of coral reefs today. Global pressures are leading to coral bleaching from rising sea temperatures and increasing ocean acidification from carbon dioxide pollution. According to the new analysis, if left unchecked, more than 90 per cent of reefs will be threatened by 2030 and nearly all reefs will be at risk by 2050. The report includes multiple recommendations concerning better reef protection and management strategies, including through marine protected areas. Details can be seen at: www.unep.org