There are natural differences in individual coral species that give them thi inherent resilience. Some corals can become more tolerant of bleaching stress if they're actually exposed to these warmer temperatures. A common approach for people to to do this has been through things like marine protected areas. The problem is that reefs are now shaped by multiple cross scale human impacts which operate at global scales.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the simple animals which informed Charles Darwin's first book, The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs, published in 1842. From corals, Darwin concluded that the Earth changed very slowly and was not fashioned by God. Now coral reefs, which some liken to undersea rainforests, are threatened by human activity, including fishing, pollution and climate change.
With
Steve Jones
Senior Research Fellow in Genetics at University College London
Nicola Foster
Lecturer in Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth
And
Gareth Williams
Associate Professor in Marine Biology at Bangor University School of Ocean Sciences
Producer Simon Tilllotson.