Crédits : Lina Tchalabi. Translation: Jill Harry. Pictures: GettyImages
Environment
No more fish, no fruit either… the scarcity affecting the little island of Vaiana nestling in the Pacific in the movie Disney could well be the scenario played out tomorrow. In this era of climate change, preventing the extinction of coral reefs is crucial for marine biodiversity and the future of the planet. Real lungs for the ocean, coral reefs cover less than 1% of the seabed but provide shelter for 25% of marine life. Caused by rising temperatures, the acidification of the oceans, overfishing, and pollution, their decline is indeed alarming. A situation which has already resulted in the disappearance of 14% of corals since 2009. According to scientists, if no action is taken, 90% of our coral reefs could disappear definitively by the year 2050.
In light of this forecast, an urgent appeal was launched in 2023 in the guise of the “2030 Coral Reef Breakthrough” project, undertaken by the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), a scientific organization comprised of 101 members including 45 countries, in partnership with the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) and the High-Level Climate Champions (HLCC). Its goal is to safeguard the future of at least 125,000 sq.km of coral reefs at shallow depths.
Far from throwing a single bottle into the sea, this ambitious initiative revolves around four main actions which are both achievable and measurable: putting an end to threats (pollution, destructive coastal development, and overfishing); turning marine treasures into sanctuaries (by doubling the surface areas of protected coral reefs); innovating in order to carry out restoration (developing smart solutions on a large scale to treat reefs undergoing deterioration); and finally, by mobilizing 12 billion dollars (public and private funds) by 2030 in order to turn this far-reaching resuscitation into reality. A vital investment aiming for the survival of over half a billion people who depend on these gems in the oceans. The global success of this mission also involves the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly that of life below water (SDG14), which consists of conserving and using the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development purposes.
Over and beyond the protection of coral reefs, this project above all emphasizes the mobilization necessary to confront current environmental challenges. Thanks to this initiative, coral reefs could not only survive but also prosper, offering future generations the chance to discover these underwater treasures. For protecting the riches of the oceans also means saving the future of humanity in its entirety.
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