“Acceptance Speech” Frontiers of Knowledge Award 2019 in Ecology and Conservation Biology

Acceptance speech by Terence Hughes, winner of the 2019 Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Ecology and Conservation Biology, who was honored alongside Carlos Duarte and Daniel Pauly for their contributions to understanding and conserving marine ecosystems. His research has demonstrated the impact of global warming on coral reefs, particularly through mass bleaching events, and highlighted the need to protect their biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide to millions of people.

Hughes warns that climate change is already causing severe damage to coral reefs, even in the most remote and best-protected ecosystems. He recalls that the first global coral bleaching event, recorded in 1998, affected 70% of the world’s reefs, and explains that restoring these ecosystems to their former condition is no longer possible. In response, he advocates directing research towards new conservat

Acceptance speech by Terence Hughes, winner of the 2019 Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Ecology and Conservation Biology, who was honored alongside Carlos Duarte and Daniel Pauly for their contributions to understanding and conserving marine ecosystems. His research has demonstrated the impact of global warming on coral reefs, particularly through mass bleaching events, and highlighted the need to protect their biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide to millions of people.

Hughes warns that climate change is already causing severe damage to coral reefs, even in the most remote and best-protected ecosystems. He recalls that the first global coral bleaching event, recorded in 1998, affected 70% of the world’s reefs, and explains that restoring these ecosystems to their former condition is no longer possible. In response, he advocates directing research towards new conservation and management strategies that preserve biodiversity and the well-being of communities dependent on coral reefs, while calling for urgent emissions reductions to limit future warming.