Coral reefs cover less than one per cent of the ocean floor, yet they support approximately twenty-five per cent of all marine species. Known as the 'rainforests of the sea', reefs provide food and shelter for fish, protect coastlines from storm damage, support fishing industries that feed millions of people, and generate billions of dollars in tourism revenue each year.

Despite their importance, coral reefs are under serious threat. Rising ocean temperatures, driven by climate change, cause a process called coral bleaching. When water becomes too warm, corals expel the algae that live inside their tissues. Without the algae, corals turn white and, if conditions do not improve, eventually die. Scientists estimate that over half of the world's coral reefs have been lost in the past thirty years.

Pollution is a second major threat. Runoff from farms and construction sites carries nutrients into the ocean that fuel the growth of algae. Too much algae smothers the coral, blocking out the light it needs to survive. Plastic waste is also a significant problem: fish and turtles mistake plastic for food, and microplastics have been found inside the tissues of corals themselves.

However, there are reasons for cautious optimism. Scientists around the world are working on coral restoration projects: growing coral fragments in underwater nurseries and transplanting them to damaged reefs. Some researchers are even developing heat-resistant strains of coral that may be better able to survive warming oceans. In the Turks and Caicos Islands, community-led reef monitoring programmes are training local divers to track the health of nearby reefs and report changes in real time.

The survival of coral reefs will ultimately depend on the decisions made by governments, industries, and individuals in the coming decades. Reducing carbon emissions, improving waste management, and protecting marine areas from overfishing are all essential steps, and none of them can wait.

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