The 156-page National Coral Reef Action Strategy provides a nationwide status report on implementation of the National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs and the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. Long story short: coral reefs are dying around the world. Local Threats to Coral Reefs The loss and degradation of these rich reef systems is a growing problem across the country. Why are coral reefs being threatened? Many scientists now believe the very existence of coral reefs may be in jeopardy unless we intensify our efforts to protect them (Frieler et al. >The impacts from unsustainable fishing on coral reef areas can lead to the depletion of key reef species in many locations. The majority of reef loss or damage is not deliberate. The Great Barrier Reef is worth an estimated AU$29 billion (US$23 billion) to Australia and supports 64,000 jobs. Coral reefs, the “rainforests of the sea,” are some of the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems on earth. Having witnessed the "mass problem of reef degradation" first-hand while working in Mauritius, Teicher paired up with Halpern to found Coral Vita, a startup which aims to revive reefs … Pollution from industrial waste is generally not a problem since the level of this development is localised at present, though measures need to be in place to prevent potential harm. Bleaching is associated with the devastation of coral reefs , which are home to approximately 25 percent of all marine species. Causes and Effects of Coastal Degradation. ... posing a threat to the near-shore habitats such as coral reefs. In simple terms, stresses can be grouped by the actions of people extracting material from, and placing materials upon, coral reefs. Such losses often have a ripple effect, not just on the coral reef ecosystems themselves, but also on the local economies that depend on them. They occupy less than one percent of the ocean floor, yet are home to more than a quarter of all marine species: crustaceans, reptiles, seaweeds, bacteria, fungi, and over 4000 species of fish make their home in coral reefs. An estimated 4,000 fish species, and some 25 percent of marine life, depend on coral reefs at some point in their existence. Coral reefs help fixate greenhouse gases, provide a habitat for enormous populations of marine organisms and sustain staggering levels of biodiversity. Will the USCRTF now be able to do what it could not in the first five years of its existence: stem the tide of degradation affecting U.S. coral reefs? Threats to coral reefs come from both local and global sources. What Causes Reef Degradation? Fish keep the algae that … The reef sound research, titled Habitat degradation negatively affects auditory settlement behaviour of coral reef fishes, is available in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 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