Half the coral species...clearly you struggle to get past the healing...worse than tbird
Key points
Results show the reef has some of its highest levels of coral cover on record.
But scientists warn coral coverage is not the only marker of the health of the reef ecosystem.
The Australian Institute of Science says coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef has fluctuated greatly over the past 15 years.
And the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies has found the number of coral species has halved in the past 20 years.
Mass coral bleachings are having “cascading effects on community composition and ecosystem functioning
Sceptics of the mainstream narrative have cited strong regrowth figures to claim that scientists and green groups overstate the threat from global warming, arguing the results show the reef can bounce back.
But scientists warn of intense stress on the reef ecosystem, as the frequency and severity of bleaching events increases. AIMS said the reef’s most dramatic losses and gains have occurred in the past 15 years, which has seen both historic highs and lows in coral cover.
What’s more, the regrowth is being dominated by a relatively narrow range of coral types.
“Much of the recent hard-cover increase was driven by increases in the fast-growing Acropora corals, which have proliferated across many Great Barrier Reef reefs,” AIMS said of its survey results.
