There are characteristic of corals and their ability to bounce back despite global warming and acidification of the water that causes coral reef damage. Reading from an interesting article “Characteristics that help coral bounce back” from ScienceNews,  a report “Resilience Assessment of Coral Reefs” released on 20 May 2009 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, reported more than 40 indicators, including type of coral, amount of algae and water clarity, may affect how well different coral reefs will cope with climate change and environmental stress.  The applauding move of the scientists to understand how various reefs would be affected by climate change will help them formulate strategies to protect the most vulnerable reefs.

Despite these abilites of the corals to bounce back, it does take time and we cannot just wait for coral reefs to self-recover quickly. The main reason for the dwindling and extinction of coral reefs is not only due to climatic changes, but also due to human’s destructive actions, such as over-fishing and pollution in the surrounding coral reef region.

The human race must realise its impact on the coral reefs and play its role to protect them. We need to understand coral reefs form the basis for thriving, healthy ecosystems throughout the tropics. These reefs provide homes and nourishment for the thousands of species, including massive schools of fish. Millions of people across the globe feed on these fish.  It is a natural cycle that we cannot afford to break.