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Scientists Identify Swaths of Coral Reefs That Might Be Able to Withstand Climate Change, Offering New Avenues for Conservation
Key takeaways
- Now, a new study offers a glimmer of hope: Coral reefs in some places might be more resilient to climate change than previously thought.
- Researchers identified more than 64,000 square miles of coral reefs across 71 countries and 100 territories with the potential to survive warming oceans, offering additional avenues for reef conservation.
- Corals are made of tiny individual animals called polyps.
A coral reef in the southern Andaman Sea, in Southeast Asia Cavan Images / Henn Photography via Getty Images It’s hard to feel optimistic for coral reefs, given the constant headlines about mass bleaching events and deadly disease. Now, a new study offers a glimmer of hope: Coral reefs in some places might be more resilient to climate change than previously thought.
Researchers identified more than 64,000 square miles of coral reefs across 71 countries and 100 territories with the potential to survive warming oceans, offering additional avenues for reef conservation. The findings were presented on June 16 at the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, and are available on the pre-print server EcoEvoRxiv. They are undergoing peer review for publication.
“Coral reefs are often framed as ecosystems beyond saving,” said study co-author Emily Darling, director of coral conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Society, at the conference, per Anand Ram at Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News. “This research shows otherwise.”