Reefs in Fiji listed amongst most vulnerable

Fiji's reefs have been listed amongst the world’s most vulnerable to local and global pressures.

A new comprehensive analysis finds that 75 percent 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 showed that local pressures  such as overfishing, coastal development, and pollution  pose the most immediate and direct risks, threatening more than 60 percent of coral reefs today.

According to the new analysis, if left unchecked, more than 90 percent of reefs will be threatened by 2030 and nearly all reefs will be at risk by 2050.

And for the first time, the report identifies the 27 nations most socially and economically vulnerable to coral reef degradation and loss.

Among these, the nine most vulnerable countries are: Haiti, Grenada, Philippines, Comoros, Vanuatu, Tanzania, Kiribati, Fiji, and Indonesia.

The report included multiple recommendations to better protect and manage reefs, including through marine protected areas.

The analysis showed that more than one quarter of reefs are already encompassed in a range of parks and reserves, more than any other marine habitat.

However, only six percent of reefs are in protected areas that are effectively managed.

The report said reefs offer multiple benefits to people and the economy   providing food, sustaining livelihoods, supporting tourism, protecting coasts, and even helping to prevent disease.

According the report, more than 275 million people live in the direct vicinity of coral reefs.


Story by: Roneel Lal