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You might think a highly diverse ecosystem like a coral reef would be better prepared to combat stressors鈥攖hings like overfishing, coastal development, pollution and climate change. After all, if a few select species are removed from such a rich ecosystem teeming with marine life forms small and large, they might not be missed as others sweep in to replace them.

Not so, according to a new global scientific field study. 鈥�

鈥淲e thought these very diverse ecosystems would be very very resilient,鈥� says Camilo Mora, the 黑料吃瓜网researcher who led the study. 鈥淏ut it turns out they are very sensitive to the loss of species.鈥�

Pulling out pieces

To illustrate his point, he compares the coral reef to the computerized device that you鈥檙e now looking at to view this story. 鈥淚magine if someone started pulling out pieces from the back, not very many pieces, just one or two. Still, it鈥檚 very likely the computer is not going to work anymore,鈥� says Dr. Mora, on the phone from Colombia.

Coral reefs, which develop in shallow, warm water, usually near land, are so specialized and so refined, he continues, 鈥渢hat if you take out one or two species, it will impair the whole ecosystem.鈥�

Researchers reporting in the journal PlosBiology say the situation is alarming. Many people around the world depend on coral reefs for their livelihood, for fishing and tourism, and yet the density of human populations in close proximity to coral reefs is adding to their decline.

Sixty-six researchers from 49 countries around the world collaborated on the study. Although challenging to work with so many people, Dr. Mora says it was necessary to document the scale of the problem.

Quite a debate erupted, Dr. Mora reports, on recommending a course of action to take. He said some researchers wanted to see more Marine Protected Areas established, even though 鈥渢hey鈥檙e not working.鈥�

That approach also bypasses the real problem: human overpopulation. More than 75 per cent of the world鈥檚 reefs are located near human settlements. What鈥檚 more, many of the developing countries in proximity to reefs have booming populations鈥攑opulations that could double within the next 50 years.

Too many people

鈥淗uman overpopulation is a very sensitive topic,鈥� says Dr. Mora. 鈥淯nfortunately, we find again and again that our global population cannot be sustainably supported without the deterioration of the world鈥檚 natural resources and the resulting backlash on human welfare.

鈥淲e expect to take a lot of heat for the study, but we have to start talking about overpopulation and start doing something about it.鈥�


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