Norfolk Island’s unique corals under triple threat from disease, El Niño and now government-approved dredging

Scientists fear unique corals fringing Australia's remote Norfolk Island could disappear, according to The Guardian. Most of these reef species have never even been formally described by science. The threat comes from three directions: coral disease, warming waters during El Niño, and a federal plan to dredge a neighboring shipping channel. The root cause? Mismanagement of pollution flowing into the island's bays. Sediment from cattle farming, cleared land, and untreated wastewater have created conditions for disease outbreaks and algae blooms that smother the corals.

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