TIME is running out for certain marine ecosystems. So said Dr Camilla Floros, Reef Programme Scientist at the Oceanographic Research Institute, in light of World Oceans Day which was commemorated at uShaka on 8 June.
According to Floros, the ocean regulates climate, feeds millions of people, produces most of the oxygen we breathe, is home to an incredible array of species and provides us with cures for diseases. However, due to many threats facing the ocean, such as climate change, time is running out for certain marine ecosystems. “Coral reefs are the most diverse ecosystems in the ocean, but unfortunately they are declining,” she said.
South Africa has beautiful coral reefs with high fish and coral diversity situated along the Maputaland coast. Although bleaching has occurred on our reefs with 13 per cent of corals affected, this is considerably less than other parts of the world like the Great Barrier where up to 80 per cent of their corals on certain reefs have suffered bleaching.
“South Africa’s reefs are subtropical so the sea temperatures aren’t as high as tropical reefs and our reefs are also deeper, which has largely protected them from severe bleaching,” she said.
Floros said corals are tiny animals that live in colonies that form coral reefs. These coral reefs are critically important to humans because not only do they provide shelter to 25 per cent of all known marine species, they protect shorelines from oceanic waves and erosion, and they represent the medicine chests of the sea and generate millions through tourism annually.
“Tiny algae provide corals with 90 per cent of their nutritional needs but, when sea temperatures are too high, the symbiotic relationship between the coral and algae breaks down and the algae are ejected by the coral, leaving the corals ghostly white and literally starving. Corals may recover if the temperature stress is short-lived, but they will die if it is prolonged. The loss of coral reefs has huge implications for the ocean and human health. Let’s all do what we can to remain conscious of our environmental footprints and live with the ocean in mind,” she said.
