London, Apr 17 (IANS).An international team made up of environmental scientists has warned that coral reefs, the ‘canaries’ of climate change, could be extinct in the next 30 year.
Over 25% of all marine life lives in coral reefs. They are also a source for food, livelihoods and cultural heritage for 500 millions of people and protect coastlines from erosion and storms.
Forecasts indicate that coral reef ecosystems around the world are likely to become functionally destroyed by 2050 if the Paris Agreement is not fulfilled.
Even with drastic emission reductions to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, up 90 percent of the world’s corals could still disappear in the next three decades. This could leave behind a reef structure that will lose many functions.
The scientists drew upon the expertise of universities and wildlife conservation groups around the world, including the University of Leicester. They published a series of recommendations to help conserve and preserve coral reefs.
“Coral reefs can be seen as the ‘canaries’ in the coal mine when it comes to detecting ecosystems that are under stress due to ocean warming caused by climate change,” said Jens Zinke, Professor of Palaeobiology at Leicester. Jens Zinke, Professor at Leicester of Palaeobiology, said that corals can detect when ocean temperatures exceed dangerous levels and warn us when we should take action.
“Our research shows that coral reefs have been severely affected due to ocean warming in the last three to four decades. However, some reef locations show lower rates and benefit from mitigating factors due to local Oceanography.
“Some reefs are more resilient to thermal stress than others and could be used as refuges in the face of future warming. Zinke stated that this is a major new research direction. Zinke hopes to protect these reefs before they disappear.
The white paper Forecasting Climate Sanctuaries: Securing the Future of Coral Reefs contains the most recent recommendations. These include the expansion of the 50 Reefs conservation program for climate change to include coral resistance, and recovery sanctuaries.
They also called them sustainable financing initiatives to support regional portfolios; and catalysing large scale, data-driven coral reef monitoring activities to test and develop new models.