A cry of alarm for ocean health resounds at COP29 in Baku. A new assessment by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation Nature) reveals that 44% of the coral species that form coral reefs are at risk of extinction. A worrying fact, which shows a rapid decline of these vital ecosystems, fundamental for the marine biodiversity and for the well-being of millions of people.
The percentage of threatened species has increased dramatically in recent years, going from about a third in 2008 to 44% today. The main person responsible for this crisis is the climate change. Rising ocean temperatures are causing serious episodes of mass bleachinga phenomenon that leads corals to expel the symbiotic algae that nourish them and give them their color, condemning them to a slow decline.
#Climate change remains the leading threat to reef-building corals, according to an assessment released at #COP29.
The latest IUCN Red List of Threatened Species update found that forty-four per cent are at risk of extinction.https://t.co/3KqD8Ux21r pic.twitter.com/7xD6u9sFnm
— IUCN Red List (@IUCNRedList) November 18, 2024
But global warming is not the only threat. Pollution, resulting from urban waste, industrial activities and intensive agriculturepoisons the waters and suffocates the corals. Fishing also has a devastating impact, particularly fishing trawling fishing, which destroys corals and alters the marine habitat.
“Coral reefs are under attack on multiple fronts,” he says Beth Polidorocoordinator of the IUCN Coral Red List Authority. “It is vital that urgent action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fight pollution and promote sustainable fishing practices.”
The IUCN appeal is particularly urgent in light of the predictions of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), according to which even by limiting global warming to 1.5 °C compared to the pre-industrial era, between 70% and 90% of coral reefs would disappear.
“Coral reefs are a key indicator of the health of the planet,” explains Grethel Aguilar, Director General of the IUCN. “Their disappearance would have catastrophic consequences for marine biodiversity, coastal economies and the well-being of millions of people.”
Coral reefs are in fact a biodiversity hotspotwhich are home to a quarter of all known marine species. They are also a source of income for many coastal communities, which profit from fishing, tourism and recreation.
“Losing coral reefs would mean losing an irreplaceable heritage,” warns the WWF in its statement Living Planet Reportwhich documents the decline of the Australian Great Barrier Reef, hit by increasingly frequent and intense mass bleaching events.
