An underwater referee fights for survival
Protecting the blue parrotfish is crucial for the diversity of all other fish species and corals.
Located 50 km from the town of Caravelas in the Brazilian state of Bahia, Abrolhos National Park spans an area of 107 hectares and is South America's largest reef. The Abrolhos protection project is supported by Conservation International (CI), which has played a key role in creating 17 endowments for protected areas internationally. The International Climate Initiative (IKI) funds a project analyzing ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) in Brazil, South Africa and the Philippines - to the tune of almost 4.5 million euros.
Off the coast of Brazil, where algae and seagrass are threatening coral reefs, marine researchers see blue parrotfish - which graze on the seabed - as the solution. But the fish species is facing its own existential problems: a popular entry on the menus of coastal restaurants, it is officially endangered, and gradually disappearing. Determined to buck the trend, Conservation International marine biologists are working to prove just how vital parrotfish are to the health of coral reefs.
A film by Holger Trzeczak
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Information
Length
7:03 Minutes
Date of publication
2015
Project
Ecosystem-based adaptation in marine, terrestrial and coastal regions
Global Ideas
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