Beyond be-reef

NEW 'ROSE' CORAL COLONY DISCOVERED IN 'THE TWILIGHT ZONE'

One of the deepest, largest unspoilt reefs ever to be discovered has been found off the coast of Tahiti, proving there may be more ecosystems in the depths of our oceans, that haven't yet been damaged by pollution or climate change.

Its thought that the depth of reef, which stretches from 30m-70m down and is 2 miles long, is precisely what's protected it, but most corals are found above 25m so they can get the most of the sunlight needed to reproduce. Many reefs are facing the risk of collapse as the world's oceans continue to warm. In September 2021, a study led by the Memorial University of Newfoundland found that they'd halved since the 1950s because of global heating, overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction.

Hosting around 25% of all species found in marine environments, coral reefs are essential for the health of the oceans as well as protecting island communities from storms and tsunamis. This huge reef with rose shaped corals, was found by a team of UNESCO scientists who, in the next few months, hope to further investigate and find what species live around this type of reef. Only 20% of the ocean seabed has currently been mapped but the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Committee - which is part of UNESCO, is working with governments and other organisations, aiming to try and finish mapping the whole lot by 2030 and this discovery has given them hope of finding other such pristine reefs too!

Unesco have released some footage of the reef below:-

REEF TO BE PROTECTED UNDER NEW RULES

Meanwhile also this month Bangladesh have announced big steps to protect their only coral reef, declaring the 1,743 square kilometres (672 square miles) surrounding Saint Martin's Island as a new Marine Protected Area (MPA).

The reef is home to thousands of endangered marine species, including loggerhead turtles, whale sharks and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. Saint Martin's, also known as 'Coconut island' is a popular tourist destination and the new MPA will limit the accompanying activities that endanger the marine life around the island such as waste and light pollution and the traffic of fishing boats.