Most Caribbean coral reefs will 'be gone within the next two decades'

A new report has warned about the Caribbean’s coral decline due to a loss of grazing fish such as sea urchins and parrotfish.

16:48 02 July 2014

Most Caribbean coral reefs will be gone within the next 20 years due to pollution and decline of grazers such as sea urchins and parrotfish as confirmed by 90 experts in their recently published comprehensive analysis. 

 

Because of this, the experts have called on governments to do something about overfishing and their part in stopping pollution in the region. These, they say could help reefs recover and make them more resilient to the impacts of climate change. 

 

The report, which is entitled Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012, states that although climate change and the resulting ocean acidification and coral bleaching do not pose a major threat to the Caribbean, local pressures including tourism, overfishing, and pollution are considered the biggest problems. These factors, the experts say, are the reason why the region is now losing two main grazer species - the parrotfish and sea urchin. 

 

Jeremy Jackson, lead author of the report and IUCN’s senior adviser on coral reefs, said: “Even if we could somehow make climate change disappear tomorrow, these reefs would continue their decline. 

 

"We must immediately address the grazing problem for the reefs to stand any chance of surviving future climate shifts.”