Coral reefs under threat from climate change

SHOTLIST July 1, 2009 +Underwater Shots+ 1. Various of damaged and dead coral 2. Various of coral attached to rusted anchor 3. Various of damaged and dead coral July 3, 2009 4. SOUNDBITE (Indonesian) Marthen Welly, TNC Indonesia Marine Project Leader : "The majority of the countries that are located in the Coral Triangle are archipelago countries. And with the effect of climate change, where the ice is melting and the sea surface temperature is increasing, these islands are under threat. A good natural protection is needed for these islands, and the coral reef is one of the best provided by the nature. Aside from that, the coral reef is the source of food for people who live around coastal areas. There are 120 million people who depend in these coral reefs. If we don't protect these coral reefs, then the lives of 120 million people will be severely impacted." July 2, 2009 5. Pan right of seaweed farm 6. Various of farmers picking seaweed 7. Woman tying up seaweed to be used in seaweed planting 8. Close up of seaweed 9. Various of women tying up seaweed July 1, 2009 +Underwater Shots+ 10. Various of conservationists measuring coral 11. Various of conservationists logging coral data July 3, 2009 +Underwater Shots+ 12. Various of healthy coral with fish swimming amongst it STORYLINE Deep and immediate cuts in emissions are needed to stall ocean acidification and prevent mass extinction of marine species, food insecurity and serious damage to the world economy, conservationists warned on Monday. A document released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at the UN's climate talks in Copenhagen assesses the latest science on ocean acidification and spells out the steps that are urgently needed to stop its acceleration. The warning comes as the UN's climate talks were thrown into disarray on Monday as developing countries blocked negotiations, demanding that rich countries raise their pledges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Conservationists across the Pacific are warning of the threat to coral reefs from climate change, specifically ocean acidification and rising sea temperatures. Coral reefs are some of the most fragile of the marine ecosystems on our planet. Reef building corals have a hard skeleton made from calcium carbonate under a soft body of tissues. Their skeletal shapes provide abundant hiding places and homes for a large variety of marine species such as snails, anemones, sponges and tropical fish. A group of nations has formed the Coral Triangle, a protected area of reefs, in an effort to preserve this fragile ecosystem. Six countries in southeast Asia and the Pacific recently moved on an initiative to protect marine biodiversity, which was launched at the World Ocean Conference Leader's Summit in Indonesia this year. Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste formally adopted one of the most comprehensive and specific plans for ocean conservation. The ten-year regional Coral Triangle initiative plan of action sets time-bound steps to address growing threats to the region's coral reefs, fisheries, mangroves, threatened species and other marine and coastal living resources. Marthen Welly, marine project leader with conservation group The Nature Conservancy (TNC), says the countries involved in the Coral Triangle project are under threat from global warming and thus keen to take part in the fight against it. In the Penida islands in Bali, situated in the south western corner of the Coral Triangle, the locals depend on the ocean and their income is mostly from seaweed farming and marine tourism. Local people are involved in clearing coral near to the beaches to plant seaweed. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/f9b99c806af8ca5b13f8f715905bd78c Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork