Coral Reefs

Coral reefs include a collection of biological communities representing one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. For this reason, coral reefs often are referred to as the 'rainforests of the oceans.' No one ecosystem is more endangered by climate change than the reef ecosystem.

Raised water temperatures disrupt a unique symbiotic relationship between plant and animal - algal zooanthellae and coral polyps. Unable to photosynthesise properly, the algae are ejected and polyps then starve, bleaching the coral which eventually breaks down to rubble.Australia's Great Barrier Reef is undisputed as one of the world's most important natural assets. It is the largest natural feature on earth, stretching more than 2,300km along the northeast coast of Australia and is one of the most complex ecosystems on the planet.

During 2002, the international coral reef information network ReefBase reported 430 global cases of coral bleaching, most of them on the Great Barrier Reef. With rising temperatures bleaching events could become an annual occurrence from 2030 onwards, which has some scientists predicting the end of reefs across much of the ocean. The economic implications for tourism, fishing and coastal communities are immense.