Coral reefs are the most diverse and productive ecosystems in the ocean. They occupy just .1% of the sea, yet 25% of all marine life is found there.
As climate change causes our oceans to rapidly warm, destructive and excessive fishing and widespread water pollution threaten to degrade these important marine ecosystems.
Long-term WCS research at 94 sites in Tanzania has shown the country has some unique geographical features that create stable ocean temperatures and can shield many reefs from climate change.
East Africa's Coral Refuge
Off the coast of Kenya and Tanzania lies East Africa’s Coral Refuge, where threatened species of corals, sharks, and dolphins still thrive despite accelerating global warming. The underwater trove of biodiversity was formed by glaciers receding from the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro thousands of years ago.
We must safeguard globally important reefs like this one for the benefit of communities and the ocean. If protected, this biodiversity hotspot will serve as a nesting ground to reseed degraded reefs and marine ecosystems throughout the Western Indian Ocean in the years to come.
Read the Storymap
Meet the People
Coral reefs are a main source of food and livelihoods for more than 500 million people around the world. Read about a few of the people that call East Africa's Coral Refuge home.
*Thank you to Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Vibrant Oceans Initiative, whose support has been critical to WCS’s marine conservation work in Tanzania and Kenya.
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