The world’s coral reefs made a partial rebound in 1999 after a bad year in 1998, but they are still threatened by climate change and overfishing, according to the group Reef Check. In 1998, scientists estimated that 15 percent of the world’s reefs had died off, a trend abetted by that year’s record-breaking ocean temperatures, but Reef Check’s latest survey indicated that a third of those reefs have recovered. Reef Check founder Gregor Hodgson said he was also encouraged because reefs are being protected in marine parks around the world, such as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, where sea creatures are rebounding from overfishing.
