Raja Ampat in Indonesia is now recognised as the epicentre of biodiversity on the planet. However, its conservation has been 20 years in the making. A key figure in its development and strategy is ecologist Mark Erdmann. Don Silcock has the story.
The debate surrounding the stability of South Africa's white shark population has intensified. A rebuttal article raises concerns about the validity of the claims raised in a recent academic article about white shark population stability and the potential implications for conservation efforts.
The ancient group of marine predators, which first appeared in the fossil record 440 million years ago, are facing a critical juncture in their existence. Though they have been resilient to other mass extinctions, the current one is caused by decades of industrial overfishing along with the growing demands of the shark fin trade. It has put those shark and ray species accessible to fisheries at risk of extinction, with far-reaching consequences for ocean ecosystems.
Reefs are vital centres of marine biodiversity. Yet, human activities like overfishing, deep-sea mining, dredging and trawling have led to their significant decline worldwide. Hence, there is an urgent need to implement efficient restoration initiatives to restore biodiversity.
A recent study published in Frontiers in Marine Science reveals an unexpected ally in this mission: fruit trees.
The study, conducted in the Dutch Wadden Sea, involved sinking felled pear trees into the sea to reconstruct reefs and enhance local marine biodiversity.
A sea turtle hatchery in Pemuteran, Indonesia, established by Reef Seen Divers’ Resort founder, Chris Brown, has provided a sanctuary for endangered baby turtles to hatch and grow large enough to be released into the sea with better chances of survival. Claudia Weber-Gebert has the story.
Coral reefs are essential for marine biodiversity and climate resilience, supporting at least a quarter of marine species and offering ecosystem services worth up to US$9.9 trillion annually. More than a billion people, including vulnerable coastal communities, depend on them for their livelihoods.
Today, these vital ecosystems are under threat due to the climate crisis and human activities, and time is running out to protect them.
Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1981, narrowly avoided a downgrade to the "in danger" status during a recent meeting of the World Heritage Committee. The decision was made despite the repeated warnings by experts about the escalating impact of climate change on the world's largest coral reef system.
(VIDEO: Researcher Al Dove collecting a blood sample. Video by Dr Simon Pierce)
DS: What were some of the challenges encountered when doing underwater ultrasounds? How did the team overcome them?
Giant kelp grows in dense stands known as kelp forests. Kelp forests, defined here as habitat-forming brown algae in the orders Laminariales, Fucales, and Desmarestiales, are globally distributed habitats which have declined around the world
The airport expansion is already underway and will be completed within the next few months, so immediate action is required in order to save as many corals as possible.
