SEEN FROM ELSEWHERE – According to a study, this condition now affects around twenty species, some of which are in danger of extinction.
By Georgina Zerega (El Pais)
A new disease has become the latest tormenting corals in the Mexican Caribbean. The outbreak, first identified in Florida in 2018, reached the shores of Mexico at least four years ago. Since then, she has been relentlessly destroying the reefs of the Riviera Maya. According to a study published this Thursday in the scientific journal Nature , this disease affects at least 21 species of coral, some of which are essential for maintaining the functionality of these ecosystems. At least 17% of the corals analyzed in more than 29,000 colonies have died from this condition. According to the authors, the epidemic is likely becoming “ the deadliest ever recorded in the Caribbean ».
Le « syndrome blanc », or the « coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD, according to its English abbreviation): these are the names that have been given to this new disease which is attacking the second largest coral reef in the world.
This article is for subscribers only. You have 83% left to discover.
Freedom has no borders, like your curiosity.
Keep reading your article for €0.99 for the first month
Already subscribed? Login