A network of "super-reefs" off east Africa are unusually resilient to climate change and could provide important lessons for coral conservation in other parts of the world, researchers said on Friday.

Experts say the planet has lost about a fifth of its corals and warn that many of the remaining reefs could die in the next 20 to 40 years, unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.

Evidence from fossil coral reefs in Mexico underlines the potential for a sudden jump in sea levels because of global warming, scientists report in a new study.

The study, being published Thursday in the journal Nature, suggests that a sudden rise of 6.5 feet to 10 feet occurred within a span of 50 to 100 years about 121,000 years ago, at the end of the last warm interval between ice ages.

Sekisei Lagoon: Beneath the waves of this sapphire-blue corner of the East China Sea, a team of divers was busily at work.

Hovering along the steep face of a coral reef, some divers bored holes into the surface with compressedair drills that released plumes of glittering bubbles. Others followed, gently inserting small ceramic discs into the fresh openings.

Beneath the waves of this sapphire-blue corner of the East China Sea, a team of divers was busily at work.

Hovering along the steep, bony face of a dying coral reef, some divers bored holes into the hard surface with compressed-air drills that released plumes of glittering bubbles. Others followed, gently inserting small ceramic discs into the fresh openings.

Action delayed: Even a 2oC rise above the pre-industrial levels would lead to 20-40 per cent of the Amazon dying within 100 years, said climate change experts from the UK. The study will appear in the journal Nature Geoscience. Declining corals: The number of fish in the Caribbean reefs has dropped since 1995 due to significant loss of corals, said a study published in the journal

State biodiversity board identifies the island, which is inhabited by several endangered species

Kaushik Chakravarthy, Bangalore:

The Karnataka Biodiversity Board has identified Netrani Island, off the coast of Karwar, as a biodiversity heritage site.

labour Provident fund feud Goa