'Alarming' plight of coral reefs

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'Alarming' plight of coral reefs

By Richard Black

Environment correspondent, BBC News website

 

 

 

Warming waters, a consequence of climate change, can devastate coral

 

 

A third of the world's reef-building coral species are facing extinction.

 

That is the stark conclusion from the first global study to assess the extinction risks of corals.

 

Writing in the journal Science, researchers say climate change, coastal development, overfishing, and pollution are the major threats.

 

The economic value of the world's reefs has been estimated at over $30bn (

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CNN is covering this too. For a shorter version, see:

 

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/07/08...iref=newssearch