Coral reefs are some of the most important ocean ecosystems, directly supporting 25% of all marine life while covering less than 1% of the earth’s surface. Despite their significance to both marine fauna and human communities, coral reefs are at risk of destruction from a variety of factors, including unnatural climate activity, rapid coastal industrialization, and plastic pollution.

This solo Roger episode highlights the importance of coral reefs on a global scale, discussing the biology and reproduction of coral, the distribution of reefs around the world, threats to their survival, and current work focussed on the preservation of coral reefs in the face of those threats.