Page 98 - BBC Wildlife - August 2017 UK

Chasing Coral
highlights the
plight of healthy
coral reefs.

TV

CHOICE

IN PERIL UNDER THE SEA

The world’s corals are dying at an unprecented rate: time for people to take notice.

Chasing Coral a not-for-profit organisation that drives The technique of choice would, of course,
TV Netflix conservation through media. “We see global be time-lapse, used to film every natural
Available to stream from 14 July
warming as a problem in the air, but 93 per event from the changing seasons to melting
It was in the 80s that scientists started issuing cent of Earth’s heat is absorbed by the ocean icebergs. But this approach is unimaginably
words of caution about the link between – which is out of sight, out of mind.” difficult underwater. There’s water pressure,
rising sea temperatures and the bleaching of Shocked by what he saw off American currents and zero gravity to contend with,
coral reefs. They were largely dismissed as Samoa following a mass bleaching event not to mention thealgae that colonise glass
alarmist, but they were right: a staggering 50 in 2014, Richard felt compelled to use his camera housings the second they hit the
per cent of the world’s corals have been lost in advertising expertise to communicate the seabed. There’s also the minor issue of
the past three decades, including 22 per cent issue to the world. His quest, documented trying to discern exactlywhen and where
of the Great Barrier Reef in 2016 alone. in this new feature-length documentary, sees a bleaching event might occur.
The trouble is that many him draw together a team Chasing Coral at one stroke rings an alarml
of us remain oblivious LOSING offilm-makers, scientists bell to the tragedy of coral bleaching, offers
to this rapidly unfolding and camera engineers to a polyps-and-all science lesson from leading
tragedy.“If huge areas of ` THE GREAT attempt something never marine biologists and tells the tale of a band
rainforest suddenly turned BARRIER REEF done before: capture a of individuals who stop at nothing to achieve
white, everyone would coral bleaching event as it their goal. Coral is the ‘nursery’ of the ocean:
be sitting up and taking HAS GOT happens in order to convey 25 per cent of marine life depends on it, as do
notice,” says Richard TO WAKE UP the sheer scale and urgency 500 million people across the globe. “Losing
Vevers, a former advertising of the problem. the Great Barrier Reef has got to wake up
executive and diver who now THE WORLD.”
There’s a reason this
Netfl x runs The Ocean Agency, has never been achieved. the world,” says Richard. “It has to cause the
change it deserves.” Sarah McPherson
98 BBC Wildlife August 2017