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.

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.

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.

Reefs.

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Coral reefs are among the most beautiful, and most diverse, of ecosystems. Early seafarers were wary of them, naturalists were confused by them, yet many coastal people benefited greatly from these mysterious rocky structures that grew up to the surface of the sea. They have been rich in their supply of food, and they provided a breakwater from storms and high waves to countless coastal communities that developed from their protection. Their scale is enormous and their value high. Found in countless locations around the world, from the Indo-Pacific coral reef province to the Caribbean and Australia, they support both marine and human life. But today coral reefs are in trouble, with many dying or suffering from over-exploitation, pollution, and the warming and acidification of the oceans. Understanding reefs, their conservation and management, is vital, and so is conveying this to authority if we are to preserve these remarkable ecosystems. In this Very Short Introduction Charles Sheppard describes the complex structure and interdependencies of a reef, how reefs have evolved, the diversity of marine life that they support, and their importance to the human population who live beside them. This new edition describes the latest research on the complex symbioses of coral animals with microorganisms. It also highlights the scale of the challenge facing our reefs today, following recent ocean heatwaves - part of wider climate disruption - that killed half the world's reefs, and considers what can be done to preserve these essential and vibrant ecosystems. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

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.