Warming seas threaten livelihoods

Environment

Fishing and tourism on the coasts of Tanzania, Mozambique, Seychelles and Comoros could be seriously threatened by climate changes over the next couple of decades. According to the British scientific journal, Nature, the main sources of income for inhabitants in these regions is being compromised by the degradation of shallow water coral through rising sea temperatures. More than 90% of shallow corals were wiped out on Indian Ocean reefs in 1998 by a three-month surge of exceptionally wann seas, the journal reports. "By 2020 the most vulnerable sites will see an extinction point," it warns.

Copyright International Communications Nov 2003
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved