The loss of coese will affect all people on our planet, says Nicola niglabus. 90% of people live within five kilometers of a coral reef in the pacific region. The food for these people from coming from reefs is extremely important. But i also think that people living in inner city manchester or london can be affected by the loss of corefs as well. We see many medicines discovered on coriefs, anti cancerous properties, for example.
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.