How coral reefs stand to benefit from a law of ecocide

This essay, hosted on www.stopecocide.earth/news-events#guest-blog, is part of a series intended as a dedicated space for the many global movements/campaigns confronting ecosystem destruction to share their stories, narratives and perspectives. These are well worth reading.

The coral reefs blog was written by Lyndon DeVantier, reef coral ecologist.

It is now abundantly clear that the economic, political and legal status quo is failing to prevent the accelerating collapse of the world’s precious, biodiverse reefs. Repeated appeals to the rationality and goodwill of powerful actors, who have the ability to voluntarily prevent climate breakdown and the associated death of coral reefs, have gone unheeded. Ecocide law represents a new enforcement paradigm to deter destruction of reefs and other natural ecosystems.

For more detail on the future of coral reefs and potential role of ecocide law, see:

What Future for Coral Reefs? Perspective, Reef Encounter The News Magazine of the International Coral Reef Society 38(1): 14-27. https://coralreefs.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/REEF-ENCOUNTER-JUNE-2023-FINAL.pdf

Can reef futures be improved by criminalizing ecocide? Reef Encounter The News Magazine of the International Coral Reef Society 38(2): 14-30.

https://coralreefs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/REEF_ENCOUNTER_DEC2023_HRv8.pdf