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Approximately 97% of the park's area consists of sea, with more than 390 types of coral reefs decorating its seabed. The coral reefs in Bunaken are formed as part of the Indo-Pacific coral reef ecosystem, and are known as one of the highest marine biodiversity in the world.
Coral reefs can be found in tropical destinations around the world, mostly in areas around the equator where the water is warmer. More than 100 countries have a coral reef within their borders, and over half of the world’s coral reefs are found within six countries: Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and the Maldives.
Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Coral polyps, the animals primarily responsible for building reefs, can take many forms: large reef building colonies, graceful flowing fans, and even small, solitary organisms.
The Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia, is the largest coral reef in the world, covering an area of 133,000 square miles. It's so big you can even see it from space! This incredible place has 3,000 individual reefs that make up the entire thing and most of it is protected.
Many of the world’s reefs have already been destroyed or severely damaged by an increasing array of threats, including pollution, unsustainable fishing practices, and global climate change. As a result, 22 species of coral are now listed as threatened under the Endangered Speci.
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. [1] . Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.
These 38 Coral Reefs Are Thriving, Despite Threats. A new study found "oases" of resilient coral reefs around the world that are beating the odds against warming, pollution, and other...
Coral reefs not only provide marine species with a rich habitat, but they also assist people as well. Millions of people around the world rely on fish caught in and around coral reefs. The reefs also draw in tourists, which helps the local economies.
Around half of the world’s reefs are likely degraded from climate change, pollution and overfishing. Hard coral cover has declined significantly in some regions, and there has been a clear change in coral community structure, with loss of susceptible coral species and loss of diversity .
Coral reef, ridge or hummock formed in shallow ocean areas by algae and the calcareous skeletons of coral polyps and other coelenterates. A coral reef may grow into a permanent coral island. Often called ‘rainforests of the sea,’ coral reefs are home to a spectacular variety of organisms.