1.What are Coral Reefs and why are they so important?

Coral Reefs are also know as"rainforests of the sea."They are made up of million of polyps working together as a system which have algae called zooxanthellae.Algae present inside the coral polyps provide the coral reefs with the nutrient nourishment through the process of photosyntesis by utilising sunlight to produce sugar, which they then use as fuel.Coral reefs provide shelter,carbon dioxide and acess to sunlight to the algae.The coral reefs and the algae exist in a symbiotic relationship. Corals can also feed on zooplankton and insects with the help of their tentacles .Hyrocorals, Octacorals,Antipatharians,etc., are differen types of corals present in the ocean.

More than a million aquatic species of invertebrates( sponges, cnidarians, crustaceans, molluscs, echinoderms like starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers),sea squirts, sea turtles, and sea snakes,and marine mammals including fish species depend on healthy coral reefs for their home, food, spawning, and nursery grounds.Over 4,000 different kinds of fish and an estimated 25% of all marine life depend on coral reefs at some stage of their life cycles making them one of the most important biologically diverse ecosystems.The fishing stocks and tourism opportunities like snorkeling, scuba diving, and fishing, bring in billions of dollars for local economies supporting many million people living in the coastal areas and also preserving the coastal infrastructure and by preventing the marine life from tsunamis, floods, and erosion-related fatalities.They are also paving a future in science by discovering new medicine that may trat cancer and other diseases.[1]

2.How Anthropogenic activities are leading to extinction of Coral Reefs?

Climate change brought on by anthropogenic activities leading to increase in water temperature, acidification,heat waves and oxygen loss lead to the extinction of coral reefs. The changing climate cause due to the global warming ,overfishing, harvesting live coral for aquarium trade, mining coral for building materials, and pollution by coastal development, agricultural and deforestation activities and contamination of water through pesticides, insecticides, oil, are just a few of the numerous ways that people harm reefs every day all around the world.Coral reefs are the "canaries in the coal mine" when it comes to detecting ecosystems that are being stressed by ocean warming brought on by climate change, According to Jens Zinke Coral reefs are the "canaries in the coal mine" when it comes to detecting ecosystems that are being stressed by ocean warming brought on by climate change since the past three to four decades.Just 5% of 1,800 reefs in 41 nations were able to provide all of their profitable byproducts, such as robust fish populations and biodiversity, according to a recently published study of the reefs.new marine reserves must be thoughtfully positioned far from populated regions.[2]Events of coral bleaching were first seen in the 1980s. In 2016, an El Nio weather trend that results in warmer Pacific Ocean waters combined with an already unusually warm ocean to wipe out a third of the Great Barrier Reef's coral cover, aggravating the problem. Since then, bleaching events have killed around half of the corals on Australia's well-known reef, endangering a 1,500-mile underwater expanse.[3].Scientists are paving path way for new marine reserves which are positioned far from populated regions,so they will no be effected by the pollution of oil,sewage/trash,fertilizers etc.,

3.International Laws and policies protecting Coral Reefs

Many legal conventions,programmes make reference to the preservation and protection of coral reefs. However, the extent to which these documents are incorporated into national laws relies on how many countries actively engage in, ratify, and uphold these accords.

The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is the primary framework for ocean-related matters (UNCLOS).The evaluations of studies on the effects of climate change conducted by the IPCC and other pertinent organizations Parties to the Agreement may use changes on coral reefs Convention to create initiatives, plans, and programs to coral reefs in a sustainable manner as part of the National Action Plans for Adaptation and additional tactics.The exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which is a new marine area outside the territorial seas, was created by UNCLOS which cover a maximum of nautical miles from the territorial sea's start to finish. In the EEZ, coatal staes have sovereign rights in order to investigate and utilizing, protecting, and overseeing natural resources, whether they are living or not, of the seas next to the ocean floor, as well as the ocean floor and its subsoil, along with in relation to additional endeavors for the commercial exploitation and investigation of the region, including energy production from the winds, waves, and currents.[4]

b.United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the only worldwide intergovernmental process that focuses specifically on the relationship between freshwater, coastal, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems that encourages the sustainable use of marine resources for regional ocean and sea protection as found in Regional Seas Conventions.The International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN), a former Operational Network of ICRI, was to be supervised in terms of finance when UNEP formed the Coral Reef Unit (CRU) in 2000. The CRU was relocated to Bangkok, Thailand in 2011 from Cambridge, United Kingdom. The CRU is currently in charge of the Coral Reef Partnership, which carries out the ICRI's Call to Action and Framework for Action by collaborating with the UNEP Regional Seas Programme and other organizations to support national and regional coral reef policies, create demonstration projects, and offer networking and capacity-building opportunities.[5]

c. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES)

Its goal is to guarantee that the worldwide commerce in wild animal and plant specimens does not jeopardize the species' ability to survive sice it being adpoted from 1963. Live animals and plants are traded, along with a wide range of wildlife products that are made from them, including as foodstuffs, unique leather goods, wooden musical instruments, lumber, tourist trinkets, and medications. Certain plant (like the coral reefs)and animal species are highly exploited(for human trade and economy), when combined with other issues like habitat degradation.[6]CITES regulates the trade in different types of coral, adding an additional layer of protection for coral reefs. In general, the international requirements will hold value as long as there is a global willingness to comply by them and as long as they are effectively implemented at both the regional and national levels.It is the only legal agreement protecting species like coral reefs from overexploitation brought on by international trade.

d.The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance-Ramsar Convention

4.Need for Effecient Marine Legisaltion to prevent Corals Extinction

The many International agreements to protect the coral reefs from overexploitation and protection have been prioritised not since long and they would have successfully worked had the coral reefs were not in stage of extinction.Paris Agreement which was adopted in 2015 by 196 countries during the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which was held close to Paris addresses financing, adaptation, and mitigation of climate change.Its main objective is to "limit the temperature increase to 1.5C(2.7 F). above pre-industrial levels" and to "hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2C(3.6 F) above pre-industrial levels.The goals were to achieve 43%(approximately 50%) decline in net emissions by 2030.The 21st of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21) ratified the 2015 Paris Agreement, which was hailed as a new dawn that could lessen the effects of climate change on people but not coral reefs.[8]If the objectives of the Paris Agreement are not fulfilled, predictions made by a global team of environmental scientists suggest that the world's coral reef ecosystems will probably be "functionally degraded" by 2050.Even if the goals set by the paris agreement are achieved,the coral reefs will be extinct by then.This shows how the social and economic significance of coral reef ecosystems is not acknowledged by many governments and international agreements.

5.Conclusion

Ocean acidification is just one of the many negative effects of climate change that will continue to occur if the world keeps going in the same direction. Reefs are predicted to suffer greatly as a result of this getting worse.Therefore, strict laws that impose fines and trial sessions for serious violations of any of the aforementioned agreements are required.All counreies should come to agreements with strigent reprucussions if the agreed perecentage decline in emissions is not achieved.We know that how climate change negatively impacts coral reefs,so we need to take the problem of tackling global warming also seriously.Then we also have to form a proper action plan which expand the scope and efficiency of marine protected areas and adding coral reefs all over the world to the heritage sites or protected under Ramsar convention.Efficient management plans can only be created when there is cordination between countries nationally amd globally for the enforcement and control of coral reefs.

Citations

1.Basic Information about Coral Reefs,available at https://www.epa.gov/coral-reefs/basic-information-about-coral-reefs (10 Decemebr,2023)

2.Experts: Worlds coral reefs could vanish by 2050 without climate action,available at https://www.globalseafood.org/advocate/experts-worlds-coral-reefs-could-vanish-by-2050-without-climate-action (10 December 2023)

3.Sarah Gibbens;Scientists are trying to save coral reefs, Here's what's working, available at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/scientists-work-to-save-coral-reefs-climate-change-marine-parks (10 December 2023)

4.Douglas, Avery "CORAL REEF CASE STUDY: COMPARING CURRENT INTERNATIONAL AND

5.ICRI, Coral Reefs and the UN,available at https://icriforum.org/icri-coral-reefs-and-the-un/ (10 December 2023)

6.What is CITES?,available at https://cites.org/eng/disc/what.php (10 December 2023)

7.The Ramsar Convention On the Conservation of Wetlands,available at https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/library/cop12_doc25_corals_fact_sheet_e.pdf (10 December 2023)

8.The Paris Agreement, available at https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement (10 December,2023)