A comprehensive study of marine life sponsored by Conservation International (CI) and implemented jointly with the IUCN-World Conservation Union concluded that three species of corals unique to Ecuador's Galapagos Islands could soon disappear forever.
Corals build reefs that are habitat for fish and other marine life. They are also a major attraction for divers in the Galapagos, where tourism makes a significant contribution to the local and national economy. Scientists blame climate change for more frequent and increasingly severe El Niño events that may have contributed to the corals' decline, as well as over-fishing in the area.
The 2007 IUCN Red List designates two of the corals - Floreana coral (Tubastraea floreana) and Wellington’s solitary coral (Rhizopsammia wellingtoni) - as Critically Endangered, while a third, Polycyathus isabela, is listed as Vulnerable. The Red List also includes 74 Galapagos seaweeds, or macro-algae, with 10 of them receiving the most threatened status of Critically Endangered. Prior to 2007, only one algae species had been included on the Red List.
“There is a common misconception that marine species are not as vulnerable to extinction as land-based species,” said Roger McManus, CI’s vice president for marine programs. “However, we increasingly realize that marine biodiversity is also faced with serious environmental threat, and that there is an urgent need to determine the worldwide extent of these pressures to guide marine conservation practice.”
You can help stop the clock on coral and other species extinction by signing the Stop the Clock petition. Learn more about some of the most threatened plants and animals on the planet, and their fight for survival, on Conservation.org.