Damage to Coral Predates Climate Change
New research suggests that climate change may not be causing the current decline in the Caribbean coral reefs. Instead, deforestation and overfishing are the likely original culprits.
Attempting to study the chronology of coral decline in the Caribbean, scientists used a unique excavation method. They discovered that decades before climate change, coral reefs were being affected by surrounding deforestation and overfishing.
Pollution and silt from deforestation along with the overfishing of helpful fish that prevent the spread of algae may have been damaging coral reefs as far back as the early 1900s.
The good news is that relatively simple policy changes can help to reverse or at least slow down this decline.
Read more in the ScienceDaily article.
