More about Coral Reefs

Coral Reefs are like undersea rainforests.  They are living and house many types of marine life.  Sadly, most of them are in danger and being wiped out.  People take coral illegally and big nets scrape across the sea floor destroying them.  I found some facts on globalissues.org.

• 20% of the world’s coral reefs have been effectively destroyed and show no immediate prospects of recovery;
• Approximately 40% of the 16% of the world’s reefs that were seriously damaged in 1998 are either recovering well or have recovered;
• The report predicts that 24% of the world’s reefs are under imminent risk of collapse through human pressures; and a further 26% are under a longer term threat of collapse;

— Clive Wilkinson, Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2004 [PDF format], World Wildlife Fund, p.7