Scientific reports show 60 percent of coral reefs have been affected by warm ocean temperatures – Dr Michael

The latest scientific report shows that almost 60 percent of our coral reefs have somewhat been affected by the warming ocean temperatures.

This was highlighted by the Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Dr Sivendra Michael during the launch of the Fiji Coral Reef Conservation Hub.

Dr Michael says, in particular, there are hotspots of bleaching and they happen in Spence. He adds that the rates of bleaching are very much dependent on changing ocean temperatures. Dr Michael says they have seen that in some coral reef systems, for example, those ones in the great sea reefs, there are components where the bleaching levels increase, but then there's a lot of restoration efforts that have been undertaken to ensure that it's offset as well.

Dr Michael adds currently Fiji is going through the marine special planning exercise through the Blue Prosperity Fiji, where all the coral reef systems are being mapped. He says that would show the baseline of where the coral reef systems are now and where it was in the past. He adds in the past, they have done mostly just special mapping exercises and then it gives them the benchmark of how much the corals have deteriorated.