Source: Zamboanga Today
June 4, 2011

Manila, Philippines - "The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) was tapped to help identify the cities and municipalities that are reportedly tolerating the illegal harvesting of black corals that resulted to the destruction of biodiversity in the country, the Palace said on Thursday.

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Julie S. Alipala
Source: Inquirer News
June 4, 2011

Zamboanga City, Philippines - "Two days of inspections of warehouses and buying stations of a Zamboanga-based trading company have yielded such a large stash of protected corals, shells and other marine species that two 20-foot container vans were not enough to hold them, the head of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said here Saturday.

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John Collins Rudolf
Source: The New York Times
June 4, 2011

"A ghostly pallor is overtaking the world's coral reefs.

This draining of color results when heat-stressed corals expel the algae they rely on for food—and which are responsible for their bright and beautiful hues. Death often follows.

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Teresa Cerojano
Source: The Associated Press
June 3, 2011

Manila, Philippines - "Philippine officials filed criminal charges Friday over a huge shipment of endangered sea turtles and rare black corals whose seizure raised alarm that the archipelago's rich marine life is being devastated by illegal trade.

The cargo worth more than $800,000 was seized by customs officials at a Manila port last month and included 21,169 pieces of black corals as tall as shrubs.

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Source: The Hindu
June 3, 2011

"Thanks to the United Nations Development Programme initiative, coral reef cover along the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve has increased from 37 percent to 43 percent between 2005 and 2009.

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Zulima Palacio
Source: Voice of America
June 2, 2011

"There's some good news, for a change, in the latest climate forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA scientists say the world's threatened coral reefs, which for decades have been bleaching out and dying off because of climate-induced changes in ocean conditions, might be getting a respite this year.

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Richard Black
Source: BBC News
May 31, 2011

"Clownfish, the spectacular tropical species featured in the movie Finding Nemo, appear to lose their hearing in water slightly more acidic than normal.

At levels of acidity that may be common by the end of the century, the fish did not respond to the sounds of predators.

The oceans are becoming more acidic because they absorb much of the CO2 that humanity puts into the atmosphere.

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Source: ABS-CBN News
June 1, 2011

Manila, Philippines - "Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Antonio Oposa Jr. wants experts from China and the United States to join an investigating team that would help the government determine those who are responsible for the destruction of the country's coral reefs.

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