Coral reefs are growing back on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Surprising coral recovery on Australia’s endangered Great Barrier Reef. Thank you one Fast growing hard coral species Northern and Central Regions UNESCO-World heritage recovered faster than expected.

That said on a Thursday Government A report published by the Australian Institute of Marine Science. However, experts caution against overconfidence.

Coral growth increased in 2021. To such an extent The monitoring program has not been recorded since its inception 36 years ago. The agency attributed the fouling primarily to the hardy coral species Acropora, which grow very quickly in good conditions.

However, the further south the Marine Science Institute team went, the picture became less encouraging: So it was already in the center Significantly fewer new coral reefs, and even vegetation has declined in the south.

The The results of their observations showed that “coral reefs can still recover during periods of less severe disturbance.” Paul Hardisty, president of the Institute of Marine Science, said. However, he doesn’t want to talk about changing course. Hurricanes, new coral bleaching and an increase in coral-eating crown starfish can quickly wipe out hits.

After all, the situation on the southern side of the reef shows “how vulnerable coral reefs are to severe and intense disturbances.” That’s what Hardy said. However, these are “more frequent and longer lasting”.

Coral reefs are organisms whose calcareous skeletons form habitats for numerous other animals and plants. The Great Barrier Reef is home to about 1500 species of fish and 4000 species of molluscs. It consists of about 2500 different reefs and more than 900 islands.

The world’s largest coral reef has suffered for decades A world in the midst of ever new things “Bleaching” is attributed to ocean warming. Coral reefs are then under mental stress And repels the colorful algae that live in them.

Bleached corals are still alive and can recover. However, as they become paler, their mortality rate also increases. The spread of coral-killing crown starfish also has devastating effects.

Many experts fear that coral reefs may be completely destroyed due to damage. Accordingly they were skeptical about the new report.

Marine scientist Terry Hughes welcomed the “good news” that coral reefs are growing back. But the very species responsible for recovery are most susceptible to it Ocean warming, he explained. In addition, Hughes believes it is rarely possible to replace large, old and slow-growing coral reefs.

Curtin University coral researcher Joe Richards cautioned against overconfidence. “This recovery trend is being driven by a few Acropora species,” he said. But the next heat wave could destroy coral reefs again.

Evidence already exists that any “bleaching leads to the localized extinction of rare species,” Richards said. These “hidden biodiversity losses” are masked only by the “short-term success of a few fast-growing coral species”.