“There is no time to lose to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are the biggest threat by far to the world’s coral reefs”

Awarded the 12th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Ecology, Terence Hughes reflects in this interview on the health of coral reefs in the face of ocean warming. Drawing on his global experience, he explains how marine heatwaves and acidification are degrading these essential ecosystems, and why coral conservation is key to biodiversity and coastal communities. His perspective combines rigorous science with an urgent call for action to protect the oceans from climate change.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Ecology and Conservation Biology has gone in this twelfth edition to marine biologists Carlos Duarte, Terence Hughes and Daniel Pauly for “their seminal contributions to our understanding of the world’s oceans, and their efforts to protect and conserve marine biodiversity and oceanic ecosystem services in a rapidly changing world,” in the words of the award citation.