UNESCO has announced the launch of an emergency plan to give coral reefs — particularly those listed as World Heritage sites — the best chance of survival, with the support of the Global Fund for Coral Reefs.
All World Heritage-listed reefs are at risk of disappearing by the end of this century, according to UNESCO.
During the recent Our Ocean Conference in Palau, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay announced the emergency plan and also called for an international mobilization to prevent coral reef extinction.
Fanny Douvere, head of the Marine Program at the UNESCO World Heritage Center, said:
“Global warming means that local reef conservation practices are no longer enough to protect the world’s most important reef ecosystems. But a healthy, resilient reef can regenerate after a bleaching incident and survive.”
