PIES 2 -6 Feb 2009: Colourless Corals Spell Doom

KOTA KINABALU: Coral bleaching will damage some of the world’s most important marine environments, including those in Malaysian waters in the coming months, international conservation organization WWF has warned.

A report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce predicts severe bleaching for parts of the Coral Sea which is adjacent to the Coral Triangle and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

The Coral Triangle, which stretches from the Philippines to Malaysia (Sabah) and Papua New Guinea, is home to 75 percent of all known coral species, with more than 120 million people relying on its resources. It is the most diverse marine region on the planet. It also spans across Indonesia and the Solomon Islands.

Coral bleaching, which is expected to occur between now and February, may have a devastating impact on coral reef ecosystems, killing corals and destroying food chains.

(Adapted From NST)

WORD LIST
1.damage
2.conservation
3.warned
4.predicts
5.severe
6.stretches
7.relying
8.resources
9.region
10.impact
11.ecosystems
12.destroying

ENRICHMENT LIST
1.doom
2.bleaching
3.adjacent
4.diverse
5.devastating