This book is based on an in-depth filmed conversation between Howard Burton and Charles Sheppard, Professor of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick. Prof. Sheppard has worked extensively for a wide range of UN, governmental and aid agencies in tropical marine and coastal development issues. This conversation explores how Prof. Sheppard is trying to find a way through political shortsightedness, corporate greed and societal indifference to use his experience to make the planet a better place. This carefully-edited book includes an introduction, All Too Relevant, and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter: I. Watery Beginnings - The power of scuba diving II. Building A Reef - Coral, algae and time III. Gratuitously Unsustainable - The problem with humans IV. Towards Progress? - Leadership, policies and philanthropic foundations V. Climate Change - Two pernicious effects VI. What To Do? - The importance of marine spatial planning About Ideas Roadshow Conversations: This book is part of an expanding series of 100+ Ideas Roadshow conversations, each one presenting a wealth of candid insights from a leading expert through a focused yet informal setting to give non-specialists a uniquely accessible window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn't otherwise be encountered through standard lectures and textbooks.

"Although the beauty and diversity of reef species may appear as marvelous decoration, this biodiversity is important for the survival of the reef community. The various ecological, or functional, roles performed by different species provide a degree of social security enabling the reef community as a whole to sustain itself through time."--From book jacket.

A brief introduction to coral reefs, including where they are found, how they grow, what lives in them, their importance, and efforts being made to protect and restore them.

This challenging activity book addresses many essential skills and knowledge contained in the National Science Teachers Association standards. The activities are focused on the exciting environment of a coral reef, its inhabitants, and the ways these inhabitants have adapted to their world. Gifted and advanced learners in grades 2-3 are provided opportunities to take "real world" action to help protect the environment. Rubrics and answer keys are provided to help assess student work. Book jacket.

Reefs.

Examines some of the protective methods, such as camouflage, regenerating parts of their bodies, and travelling in schools, used by creatures living near coral reefs.

How fossilized reefs hold clues to the survival of corals in the Anthropocene With rising global temperatures, pollution, overfishing, ocean acidification, and other problems caused by humans, there's no question that today's coral reefs are in trouble. As predictions about the future of these ecosystems grow increasingly dire, scientists are looking in an unlikely place for new ways to save corals: the past. The reefs of yesteryear faced challenges too, from changing sea level to temperature shifts, and understanding how they survived and when they faltered can help guide our efforts to help ensure a future for reefs. Lisa Gardiner weaves together the latest cutting-edge science with stories of her expeditions to tropical locales to show how fossils and other reef remains offer tantalizing glimpses of how corals persisted through time, and how this knowledge can guide our efforts to ensure a future for these remarkable organisms. Gardiner takes readers on an excursion into "the shallow end of deep time"--when marine life was much like today's yet unaffected by human influence--to explore the cities of fossilized limestone left behind by corals and other reef life millennia ago. The changes in reefs today are unlike anything ever seen before, but the fossil record offers hope that the coral reefs of tomorrow can weather the environmental challenges that lie ahead. A breathtaking journey of scientific discovery, Reefs of Time reveals how lessons from the past can help us to chart a path forward for coral reefs struggling for survival in an age of climate crisis and mass extinction.