Corals face "a significant level of threat" in the French islands of the Indian Ocean: 15% of these species are endangered in Reunion, 12% in Mayotte and 6% in the Scattered Islands, says the French committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). "Global warming is one of the main threats", he explains in an unpublished inventory published this Thursday and conducted jointly with the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) and the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN ).
#WorldEnvironmentDay Discover the coral Acropora hyacinthus
Present in the Indian and Pacific oceans, it is classified "Endangered" in Reunion, "Vulnerable" in Mayotte and in the Scattered Islands on the Red List of Threatened Species in France ➡️ https: // t.co/HmH3FxZ1tD
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It results in "an increase in the temperature of surface sea water, resulting in coral bleaching in the hot season" which can lead "to the death of corals when the phenomenon is intense and continues for too long", specifies T -he. Another major threat is the deterioration of the quality of coastal waters. The study points in particular to "the cumulative effects of increasing urbanization of coastlines, discharges of wastewater, agricultural pollution" and runoff caused by land clearing.
"Critically endangered"
Finally, the impact of harvests, coral diseases and cyclones adds to the pressures on corals, says IUCN, which maintains the red list of endangered species in France. Certain species are particularly sensitive to pressures of human origin, such as stylophora pistillata, now classified as "critically endangered" in Reunion, while it was once fairly common on reef flats, the study points out.
"If corals are lost, this will pose a much wider problem for the health and vitality of the oceans," said Florian Kirchner, species program officer at IUCN. "Corals have a major role in the renewal of wildlife in the oceans," he said, because "they serve as a refuge and shelter for a large number of fish species." They also protect the coasts from violent natural events, such as cyclones or sea swells.
"We need to think better about coastal development and agricultural waste, which is very damaging to corals," said Florian Kirchner. "If we contribute to improving the quality of coastal waters, they will be more resistant to climate change," he concluded.
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