High Temps, Hurricanes Wrecked Caribbean Reefs, Says U.N. Study

It’s not a pretty picture for Caribbean coral reefs, home to 10 percent of the world’s coral, according to a United Nations-sponsored study. Record-high temperatures and 13 hurricanes in 2005 devastated much of the reef system throughout the region, according to the study.

Over the last 50 years, many Caribbean reefs have lost up to 80 percent of their coral cover, according to a team of scientists and experts at the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, which put together the report for UNESCO and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

Coral-based ecosystems are sensitive to temperature increases, which have led to massive coral bleaching, affecting up to 95 percent of the reef systems around some islands, including the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Cuba and the French West Indies.

The loss of coral reefs is an economic disaster, as well, damaging the livelihood of thousands of people who depend upon healthy reefs for sustenance, coastal protection, renewable resources tourism and food.

Long-term solutions for restoring reefs to full health include bringing temperatures down through reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and curtailing the impact of pollution, according to the study.

The report marks the beginning of the International Year of the Reef, a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the threats faced by coral reefs.