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UNDER THREAT FROM:
• Sedimentation - driven by deforestation and poor agricultural practices. The resulting sediments are carried to coastal waters and smother corals. The photograph here, taken from the space shuttle, is the Mahakam delta in Indonesia, which produces 4-10 millions of tonnes of sediment each year
• Pollution - from urban development, industrial effluent, and agricultural run-off into rivers and then the sea. Causing eutrophication which favors algal growth over the corals, as well as more direct poisoning
• Unsustainable harvesting, including overfishing and destructive practices such as coral mining and blast fishing
• Climate change - corals are one of the most sensitive organisms in the world to changing climates and rising temperatures…