Coral reefs in the Philippined 'slowly dying'

Nearly all of the ecologically-fragile coral reefs in the Philippines are under severe threat from economic development and climate change.

This is according to an update circulated by the Southeast Asian Centre of Excellence (SEA CoE) during the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium held here.

The Philippines is part of the so-called "coral triangle," which spans eastern Indonesia, parts of Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands. It covers an area that is equivalent to half of the entire United States.