Its 2018 and corals are in the limelight.   With an heir of urgency not felt since their last campaigns in 1997 and 2008, the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) has announced that this year will be dedicated to corals’ worldwide awareness, necessity and impending risks. 

No coral reefs, no oceans, no life. 

They cover only 0.2% of the oceans’ surface, and yet coral reefs play a crucial role.. They are home to 30% of marine ecosystems, over 4000 fish species, 700 coral species, and millions of marine plants and animals. 

These reefs protect 150 000kms of coastal areas in over 100 countries against harmful waves, storms, floods and erosion. 40% of coral reefs have disappeared in the last 40 years. Climate change and coastal spatial planning significantly threaten their survival. These, in addition to the constant threats of overfishing, destructive human practices, proximity dredging, ocean acidification, lack of CO2 and marine pollution.  

In short, coral reefs are sensitive to current mutations in our environment and are greatly impacted by human activities. Consequently, it is necessary to protect these reefs and the communities and ecosystems that depend on them.  

Treasures threatened…by plastic  

Plastic waste, the archenemy of the ocean, strikes again when it comes to the depletion of coral reefs. Science Magazine highlighted this in a recent survey, published on January 26. Authors revealed troubling pathologies which affect corals in contact with plastic waste.  

In fact, in over 120,000 of coral species examined from 159 different reefs, scientists noticed a 4 – 89% increase in risk of coral reef disease when in contact with plastic. The major assumption is that bacteria present in plastic fragments colonize and weaken corals. Furthermore, plastic waste deprives the species from light and oxygen, which propagates pathologies faster.  

Irreversible risks  

Scientists have identified three main pathologies: white band disease, black band disease, and skeletal eroding disease. All three result in rapid coral mortality. According to Joleah Lamb, research fellow at Cornell University and main author of the study, the non-reversible effects of these diseases raise the most concern. Once coral tissue is affected, it cannot regenerate: «It is like foot gangrene, nothing can be done to stop it from spreading throughout the body without amputation” announced Dr. Lamb.  

Today, scientists estimate that there are 11.1 billion plastic waste fragments in the coral reefs in Asia-Pacific. This volume is predicted to increase by 40% in the next seven years, and could reach over 16 million tons by 2025. 

For 2018 to provide a beacon of hope for coral reefs, and to a greater extent for marine biodiversity, ICRI is committed to raising awareness within as many people as possible, and offers management and conservation tools to support its mission. Each one of us can take action at our individual level to save one of the richest, but also most threatened, ecosystems on the planet.