Aug. 17

　　On August 7, researchers at the University of North Carolina released the world's first comprehensive study on coral in the Indo-Pacific region, which stretches from Japan to Australia and east to Hawaii, and is home to 75% of the world's coral reefs. The outlook is grim. Between 1968 and 2003, more than 600 sq. mi. of reef disappeared in the region — that's 1% a year, twice the pace of rainforest decline — and the losses are hitting well-protected areas like the Great Barrier Reef just as hard as the stressed, overfished reefs that surround crowded countries like the Philippines.

　　努力拯救珊瑚礁

　　8月7日北卡罗来纳大学的研究人员发表了世界上第一份对生长在印度洋-太平洋区域的珊瑚所作的综合研究报告。这一区域从日本延伸至澳大利亚，东面到夏威夷。世界上75%的珊瑚礁生活在这一区域。总的情况是严峻的。1968年到2003年间这个区域有超过600平方英里的珊瑚礁消失了，每年消失1%，是热带雨林消失速度的两倍。保护良好的地区，如大堡礁和像菲律宾那样的人口拥挤国家周边那些受挤压、过度捕鱼的珊瑚礁的消失程度也同样严重。