Changing Planet, Coral Special

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Wednesday, April 24, at 8 PM
Thursday, April 25, at 1 AM  
 

In the third year of the seven-year CHANGING PLANET project, renowned conservationist M. Sanjayan, Ph.D., travels to the Maldives and the Florida Keys for an in-depth look at coral reefs — a habitat under urgent threat from climate change — and the innovative techniques that could save them. 

Featuring spectacular underwater cinematography, the program explores how scientists from across disciplines are collaborating on projects that offer glimmers of hope for the future of coral reefs. Globally, coral reefs are at a crisis point, as warming seas have caused corals to bleach and die at an alarming rate. Five hundred million people worldwide rely on reefs for food and to protect coastlines from storms and rising sea levels. But without action, scientists predict that nearly all reefs could die off in the next few decades.

Sanjayan visits Laamu Atoll in the Maldives to take part in a first-time collaboration that could be the key to restoring reefs. Professor Peter Harrison from Southern Cross University in Australia has devised a fertility treatment to help corals reproduce more successfully.