I was passing by the coral gardens the other day when I noticed the colour had drained from some of the surrounding coral tips.  It was as though they were white from shock.  Perhaps they were sick?

I picked up my freestyle pace and headed straight to Cressida Coral, my muse and the most beautiful coral on the reef.  She’d surely have the answers.

“Hello Kaku,” she purred. I felt the colour rise in my cheeks… if only I could give some to the white corals now!  I explained the reason for my visit and her smile faded fast.

“It’s terribly sad. Us corals might look tough with our hard external skeletons but we’re incredibly sensitive creatures,” she explained. “Even a slight increase in ocean temperatures, as a result of global warming, gets us all stressed out… And we all know how toxic stress is!”

She went on to explain how corals get their colour and nutrients from the food-producing algae that live inside them. When sea temperatures rise, corals expel their algae, leaving them with a white ‘bleached’ appearance – and no food!

I was passing by the coral gardens the other day when I noticed the colour had drained from some of the surrounding coral tips.  It was as though they were white from shock.  Perhaps they were sick?

I picked up my freestyle pace and headed straight to Cressida Coral, my muse and the most beautiful coral on the reef.  She’d surely have the answers.

“Hello Kaku,” she purred. I felt the colour rise in my cheeks… if only I could give some to the white corals now!  I explained the reason for my visit and her smile faded fast.

“It’s terribly sad. Us corals might look tough with our hard external skeletons but we’re incredibly sensitive creatures,” she explained. “Even a slight increase in ocean temperatures, as a result of global warming, gets us all stressed out… And we all know how toxic stress is! ”

She went on to explain how corals get their colour and nutrients from the food-producing algae that live inside them. When sea temperatures rise, corals expel their algae, leaving them with a white ‘bleached’ appearance – and no food!

“When you see corals that have turned white, they are at risk of starvation,” Cressida continued. “If the waters cool down again, they may pull through, but ‘bleaching’ is a sure sign that the coral is seriously stressed!”

So that was why Landaa’s Reefscapers team was always monitoring the lagoon’s temperature loggers and constantly creating new and diverse sites for the coral frames, transplanting the toughest species, and helping create optimum conditions for the rest: to increase resilience against the effects of rising sea temperatures!

“We’re well looked after here,” said Cressida. “There’s a whole team of coral biologists working tirelessly to strengthen and support us. We love protecting the islands and homing so many marine creatures but when the water is too hot, it’s impossible for us to survive, let alone do our jobs!”

I returned home relieved that Landaa’s corals had so much support but even more determined to take steps to tackle global warming: I can’t imagine how stressed I’d have to be to starve myself to death! No creature deserves that!

“When you see corals that have turned white, they are at risk of starvation,” Cressida continued. “If the waters cool down again, they may pull through, but ‘bleaching’ is a sure sign that the coral is seriously stressed!”

So that was why Landaa’s Reefscapers team was always monitoring the lagoon’s temperature loggers and constantly creating new and diverse sites for the coral frames, transplanting the toughest species, and helping create optimum conditions for the rest: to increase resilience against the effects of rising sea temperatures!

“We’re well looked after here,” said Cressida. “There’s a whole team of coral biologists working tirelessly to strengthen and support us. We love protecting the islands and homing so many marine creatures but when the water is too hot, it’s impossible for us to survive, let alone do our jobs!”

I returned home relieved that Landaa’s corals had so much support but even more determined to take steps to tackle global warming: I can’t imagine how stressed I’d have to be to starve myself to death! No creature deserves that!