USA (15 Dec 2000) -- Over one quarter of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed by global warming, overfishing and pollution and scientists now predict that what remains will not survive the next 20 years. The worst hit area is in the Indian Ocean where half of Indonesia's coral reefs are already dead and the Seychelle Islands and the Maldives, where over 90 percent of the reefs have been lost. Coral reefs have been described as underwater rainforests because they are the foundation of complex ecosystems that support and nurture thousands and thousands of marine species. If the coral dies, most of the species that depend on it will become extinct. Some 500 million people worldwide also depend directly on healthy reefs for their livelihood. The most serious immediate threat to reefs is global warming but overfishing and pollution are also killing coral where environmental regulations are weak or nonexistent. Chemical and dynamite fishing is a widespread problem throughout Asia where governments continue to ignore the problem due to rapidly expanding populations that subsist on reef fishing and financial setbacks that have reduced funding for conservation. Even if governments around the world cut pollution, crack down on overfishing and establish regulations aimed at reducing global warming, it is unlikely that the trend can be reversed without reducing birth rates and controlling population growth. | 
