The Effects of Ocean Acidification on Coral Reefs in Southeast Asia

摘要

Every year millions of travelers from around the world flock to Southeast Asia to enjoy its incredible variety of marine life, pearly white beaches, and colorful coral reefs. As a center of global marine biodiversity and ende-mism, the Southeast Asian region is home to one-third of the world's mapped coral reef areas which generate great environmental, social and economic benefits. According to the World Resources Institute, the total annual net benefit of only sustainable coral reef fisheries across Southeast Asia is estimated to be US$2.4 billion per year (Constanza et al., 2014). Healthy coral reefs not only support fishing industries, but also help to protect coastal populations from natural hazards. They also create important recruitment areas for marine life, helping to secure the livelihoods of millions of coastal families in Southeast Asia.