Overfishing, deforestation causing Caribbean coral reef decline

A new study by scientists has linked the decline of Caribbean coral reefs to overfishing and deforestation in addition to human-induced climate change.



The researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego in the United States have used an excavation technique to reconstruct the timeline of historical change in coral reefs located on the Caribbean side of Panama.



Lead scientist, Katie Cramer says the study is the first to quantitatively show that the cumulative effects of deforestation, and possibly overfishing, have been degrading Caribbean coral and molluscan communities long before climate change impacts.