CAYE CAULKER, Belize, Oct 30 (Reuters) - A rainbow-hued parrot fish nibbles
on a veined purple sea fan in the tranquil waters of Belize's barrier reef,
the largest in the western hemisphere.
But the fish stays well away from a large patch of dying coral, a white
skeleton amid the bright colors of spectacular ocean life along the coast.
Much of the 200 miles (320 km) of Belize's coral reef has been "bleached" in
the last decade and some scientists warn it is likely to die, a victim of
global warming.
Reefs around the world are in peril with people damaging the delicate
ecosystems and endangering some 1 million species of animals and plants that
call the coral home.
Scientists estimate over 27 percent of the world's coral has been
permanently lost and at current rates of destruction, another 30 percent
will disappear over the next three decades.
Full story at http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N27300634.htm
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