“Imagine if the reefs of the world, once coated by colorful corals, suddenly became bare. What would it mean for humanity?”

Stuart Sandin was recently interviewed by The Huffington Post to answer this question as part of Cara Santa Maria’s “Talk Nerdy to Me” radio program.

Stuart describes via Skype how the interacting effects of overfishing, pollution, and climate change are altering the structure and function of coral reefs by reducing coral and fish populations. As Santa Maria writes, “Ironically, the very organisms that can teach us about climate science are being threatened by climate change.” To mitigate these impacts, Stuart emphasizes that we should strive to manage for reefs that “facilitate humanity”; in other words, reefs that remain strong and healthy that can continue to provide essential resources and services for us.

Watch the full video here.