THE WORLD WE LIVE IN
CORAL REEFS

Home
POLLS | CLEAN UP THE WORLD | BIRDS | AIRCARE | ANTARCTICA | BIKEWAYS | WOODHEATERS | WALKING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT | VISUAL POLLUTION | WATER | OCEANCARE | CORAL REEFS | LANDCARE | WEEDS | ENDANGERED WORLD | NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE | NEWSLETTER | CHILDREN'S CORNER | LINKS | ADD URL | SAVE THE WHALES | CITYSCAPES | NAVIGATE MY SITES | PHOTOS | Contact | CLIMATE

Nearly 60% of coral reefs at risk in 1 century

SAVE OUR REEFS

. It has been estimated that 10% of the world's reefs are seriously degraded

and that another 60% face severe degradation within the next 10-40 years

JOIN THE ACTION NETWORK TO SAVE THE WORLD'S CORAL REEFS

PROTECTING CORAL REEFS & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world.

With a seasonal growth rate of approximately 30cm per day , the kelp forests of

reefs off Tasmania and Victoria are some of the
fastest growing forests in the world.

Deep seamounts off Eastern Tasmania contain a high number of species
unknown to scientists.

Australia's reefs extend across almost one third of the planet's hemisphere

In 1996 Ocean Care Day focussed on the world's sea reefs ,which are the
forgotten fringe suffering the impact of overcollection,
pollution, trampling and land reclamation.

Conservation efforts have continued since - You can get involved by contacting

the AUSTRALIAN MARINE CONSERVATION
SOCIETY or the SURFRIDER FOUNDATION.

CORAL BLEACHING : This is a disturbing phenomenon which was recently
observed first hand in FIJI by Jean-Michel Cousteau
who also reports in his regular bulletin to members of Ocean Futures that
experts estimate 10% of reefs worldwide are seriously
degraded and that another 60% face severe degradation within the next 10 -
40 years.

Full information on Ocean Futures and the coral reef monitoring project go to
oceanfutures.org,where detailed information can be
found in the special members area.
Information on Australia's Great Barrier Reef can be found at:

NEWS JUST IN!!!

Action Network Victory
Date: Fri, 02 Feb 2001 15:39:53 GMT

Action Network from Environmental Defense.

Thanks to your help, permanent protection of Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve is official.
The Executive Order protecting 84 million acres of
ocean resources went into effect on January 18, 2001
-- the moment it was signed by President Clinton. There
were fears that President Bush would overturn the Executive
Order in his scrutiny of new regulations, but we learned
last week that he did not.

Many thanks to the nearly 12,000 of you who sent letters
to Hawaiian and federal officials. Your response was
crucial in securing comprehensive and permanent protection
for this fragile ecosystem. This was a major team effort
-- lead by Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) fishers,
cultural practitioners, environmentalists, and recreational
fishers, with scores of groups throughout the rest
of the U.S. and the world helping to fight for the
establishment of the largest protected area in the
United States. We can all celebrate this as a major
victory for the coral, the fish, monk seals, turtles,
birds -- and future generations. A well-balanced
NWHI Coral Reef Ecosystem Council has just been established
to carry out the mandate to protect this fragile area.
We will continue to monitor developments in the NWHI
and, as needed, may ask for your assistance to support
the Council in its work.

This was not an easy win and it's important for you
to know that your comments played a key role. Government
officials repeatedly cited the overwhelming public
support for this Reserve as pivotal in protecting this
fragile ecosystem. Your actions helped make the reserve
a reality.

Spread the word about Action Network by visiting:

THE ACTION NETWORK

CORAL REEFS EDF UPDATE