PLASTICS AND CORAL DISEASE
Posted on: Tue 12 May 2020
Just when we thought that coral reefs were facing enough danger from problems like climate change and mass bleaching events, another issue has emerged.
Recent research has found that there are more than 11 billion pieces of plastic debris on coral reefs across the Asia-Pacific.
The research also found that corals in contact with this plastic are more than 20 times susceptible to disease.
To find out more, Barometer’s Des Lawrence spoke to Bette Willis, Professor in Marine Biology at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University.
Produced by Des Lawrence
Image: NOAA
