WHAT DO CORALS DO FOR THE PLANET?

A major report funded by WWF in 2003 found that coral reefs provide $30 billion in goods and services globally every year.

Half a billion people rely on the world’s coral reef fisheries for 95 per cent of their protein.

Coral reefs are vitally important nursery grounds for fish and other marine life. It’s estimated that a third of all marine life depends on coral reefs for at least one stage of their life cycle.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef alone generates over $1 billion in tourism.

According to Professor Charlie Veron, losing the world’s coral reefs would cause the mass extinction of one-third of all marine species.

Coral reefs provide vital coastal defences, taking the impact of storms and waves before they reach land.

Reef life forms possess chemical defence systems and bacterial communities that have medicinal uses.

Loss of coral reefs caused by rising sea temperatures could cost $1 trillion globally, according to a new study by the Climate Council of Australia.