An international team of scientists has been exploring Moreton
Bay, close to Brisbane, as a possible 'lifeboat' to save corals
from the Great Barrier Reef at risk of extermination under
climate change. In a new research paper they say that corals
have been able to survive and flourish in the Bay, which lies
well to the south of the main GBR coral zones, during about half
of the past 7000 years. Corals only cover about 1 per cent of
the Moreton Bay area currently, and have clearly been adversely
affected by clearing of the surrounding catchments and human
activities on land and sea, says lead author Matt Lybolt of the
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and The
University of Queensland. "The demise of tropical coral reefs
around the world is due mainly to overfishing, pollution and
climate change. There is also plenty of historical evidence that
coral reefs can move from one environment to another as the
climate and other conditions change," Matt explains. "In view of
this, various places including