Coral Reefs & Islands: The Natural History of a Threatened Paradise

Coral Reefs & Islands: The Natural History of a Threatened Paradise

1. Coral Island Genesis - describes the distribution and formation of coral reefs and islands worldwide, including how atolls are created, why the Great Barrier Reef looks like it does today and the fascinating processes leading to the 'birth' of a coral island

2. Bare Sand to Thick Forest - describes in fascinating detail the colonisation of a coral island, from newly forged sandy cay to dense forest teeming with birdlife

3. The Living Reef - explores the dynamic coral reef community, from reef flat and seagrass meadows to the drop-off

4. Life Between the Tides - describes the natural history of mangroves, sandy beaches and rubble drifts and the creatures that inhabit them, from turtles and seals to fiddler crabs and frigatebirds

5. Island Worlds - delves into crowded seabird colonies and investigates the endemic species that have evolved in isolation on remote coral islands

6. Footprints in Paradise - describes the importance of coral reefs and islands, the threats they face and what can be done to protect them for the future

Coral reefs and islands contain some of the most colourful, beautiful and diverse species and habitats on earth, and this book – written for the concerned non-specialist – studies their delicate ecological balance and shows the rich variety of their natural life above and below the waves.

Many plant and animal species are endemic to coral islands. Turtles and seabirds nest on remote shores; exotic marine life inhabits coral reefs, lagoons and the sea grass meadows of surrounding tropical seas, while unique communities of plants and animals thrive in mangrove swamps and dense island forests or along wave-swept beaches and sand dunes. The coral island and reef ecosystems portray an extraordinary beauty and complexity, but their ecological importance is only beginning to be realised.

Coral reefs have an essential role to play in feeding local human populations and providing a potential source of new medicines. There is growing concern over the present trend in global warming, with predicted rises in sea level threatening vulnerable coastlines. Healthy reefs would be vital as natural breakwaters, but at the same time entire nations of low-lying coral islands could drown and vanish.

In the past, coral islands and reefs have suffered from a wide range of destructive human activities. Today they are under increasing pressure from pollution, over-fishing and unregulated tourism. There is an urgency to implement conservation programmes to benefit local human communities and safeguard coral reefs and islands before they are outpaced by destructive commercial and industrial development.

About the author: Voted one of the UK’s top five travel journalists, William Gray (www.william-gray.co.uk) has been writing articles and books for over 20 years. Author of the award-winning family travel guidebook series, Travel with Kids, he is also the editor of the inspirational website 101 Family Holidays and a regular contributor to The Independent on Sunday and Wanderlust magazine. A zoologist and award-winning photographer, Will has written a worldwide guide to Wildlife Travel and supplies nature and travel photos to leading agency AWL Images.