This year is officially the year of coral reefs according to the International Coral Reef Initiative. It is the third time in history that we have had a year dedicated to research and raising awareness about the degradation of coral reefs around the world — 1997 was the first followed 11 years later by the second in 2008.
There are many reasons that we need a year dedicated to these complex ecosystems, but perhaps one of the most important things is that scientists don’t really know what the future holds for reefs around the world. They are an ecological enigma.