Phl among 27 nations vulnerable to coral reef degradation, report says

MANILA, Philippines - The coral reef system of the Philippines and those of 26 other countries are vulnerable to degradation, according to a report backed by the United Nations.           

The report “Reefs at Risk Revisited” issued last Friday in Washington and London also identified the reef systems of Haiti, Grenada, Comoros, Vanuatu, Tanzania, Kiribati, Fiji and Indonesia among those vulnerable to damage.      

The report said 75 percent of the world’s coral reefs are threatened by human activity such as overfishing and costal development.

Also affecting the health of coral reefs are pollution, climate change, warming of seas, and rising ocean acidification.          

It said that if threats to reef systems are not dealt with, more than 90 percent of the world’s coral reserves will be threatened by 2030 and would be at risk by 2050. 

Global think tanks said rising sea temperatures and acidification from carbon dioxide pollution are leading contributors to coral bleaching.         

Institutions involved in the study include the World Resources Institute, the Nature Conservancy, the WorldFish Center, the International Coral Reef Action Network, the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP-WCMC). 

Lauretta Burke, senior associate at the World Resources Institute and a lead author of the report, noted that coral reefs are valuable resources worldwide because these help in ensuring food supply.          

“Despite the dire situation for many reefs, there is reason for hope,” she said. “Reefs are resilient, and by reducing the local pressures we can buy time as we find global solutions to preserve reefs for future generations.”       

The report said that only six percent of the global reef reserves are placed under the care of effectively managed marine conservation parks.     

It states that more than 275 million people live in the vicinity of coral reefs. In more than 100 countries and territories, coral reefs protect 150,000 kilometers of shorelines against storms and erosion.