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  • WORLD VIEW

Is it time to give up trying to save coral reefs? My research says no

Scientists are increasingly arguing that coral-reef restoration is a lost cause — but done right, it can still benefit ecosystems and local communities.
By
  1. Lisa Carne

    1. Lisa Carne is the founder and executive director of Fragments of Hope in Placencia, Belize.

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I relocated from California to Placencia, on the coast of southern Belize, in 1995, when there were no paved roads, no vehicles and everybody walked around barefoot. Back then, I was working as a research assistant and scuba-diving instructor. That meant that I had access to Belize’s stunning coral reefs, but also that I began to witness — and document — an ever-more depressing decline in the reefs’ health.

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Nature 634, 755 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03400-7

Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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