Center for Biological Diversity Action Alert
Corals are vanishing at an alarming rate, and scientists warn that these reefs are poised to become the first mass ecosystem extinction produced by manmade climate change. The loss of coral reefs, the ocean’s greatest hotspots of biodiversity, would be a critical blow to the wide array of marine animals and coastal communities that depend on them.
In response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity to protect 82 corals as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, the National Marine Fisheries Service has released a status review that found 56 coral species in U.S. waters are likely to go extinct by the end the century without help. The coral decline is primarily due to ocean warming and ocean acidification.
Coral reefs are home to 25 percent of all known marine species and play a vital function in ocean ecosystems. A third of the world’s coral reefs have already been destroyed, and scientists warn that by mid-century most corals will be in waters either too warm or too acidic to allow them to survive.
Listing these corals as threatened or endangered will increase their chance of recovery through habitat protections, tools to reduce threats to the corals, recovery planning and greater public awareness of their plight.
Send your message by filling out the form below to protect the living foundation that supports millions.