Protection, Recovery, and... New Species!

Photo credit: Gerald Allen
Bali is a well-known tourist destination. Scores of people travel to this Indonesian island to dive its extensive reefs. The Balinese government recently requested a survey of their reef's biodiversity to assess their health and to make recommendations for a large network of marine parks. Smart!
A team of scientists with Conservation International spent two weeks combing the reefs. Their findings? While reef sharks and wrasses are still rare, and plastic polution is still prevalent, the reefs are recovering from bleaching and destructive fishing. As a boon, researchers also discovered nine potentially new species.
I suspect with further protections in place, the reefs will continue to thrive. And maybe, rare or endangered creatures will prosper and be added to the list of 953 species of fishes that already populate Bali's reefs.
Click here to see the full gallery of new species.