Corals are in trouble. All across the globe the diverse and dynamic ecosystems are taking huge hits year after year. The Great Barrier Reef has lost half of its coral since 1995. Scientists are seeing similar declines in reefs from Hawai‘i to the Florida Keys and across the Indo-Pacific region.

The widespread decline is fueled in part by climate-driven heatwaves that induce coral bleaching — the breakdown of the relationship between shallow-water coral and the symbiotic algae they rely upon for nutrients.

Climate change is a clear and present danger to the persistence of coral reefs, and global reductions in carbon emissions is critical for the future of reefs. But according to a new study published in the journal Science(link is external), managing local environmental conditions can help give coral a fighting chance.