Leaders | Coral reefs

Those in peril in the sea

A mix of natural resilience and human ingenuity can save endangered ecosystems

FRENCH POLYNESIA - SOCIETY ARCHIPELAGO - MAY 09: A view of major bleaching on the coral reefs of the Society Islands on May 9, 2019 in Moorea, French Polynesia. Major bleaching is currently occurring on the coral reefs of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. The marine biologist teams of CRIOBE (Centre for Island Research and Environmental Observatory) are specialists in the study of coral ecosystems. They are currently working on “resilient corals”, The teams of PhD Laetitia Hédouin identify, mark and perform genetic analysis of corals, which are not impacted by thermal stress. They then produce coral cuttings which are grown in a “coral nursery” and compared to other colonies studying the resilience capacity of coral. (Photo by Alexis Rosenfeld/Getty Images).

Human beings have been altering habitats—sometimes deliberately and sometimes accidentally—at least since the end of the last Ice Age. Now, though, that change is happening on a grand scale. The plough and the chainsaw bear much of the blame, but global warming is a growing factor, too. Fortunately, the human ingenuity that is destroying nature can also be brought to bear on trying to save it.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Surmounting great barriers”

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