Climate change poses a severe risk to Madagascar's coral reef systems, according to a new study from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Coupled with increasing human pressures, reefs in the shore areas of southern Madagascar are particularly vulnerable, the charity stated.
Its primary concern is for the Tulear reef, which is the third largest in the world and one of only five large continuous reef systems.
WWF has identified the site as one of the most vulnerable in the western Indian Ocean because of its proximity to the coastline and the knock-on effects of human activities, such as deforestation.
"With increasing global temperatures, the corals within Tulear reef could succumb to massive bleaching events and become infested with green algae," Gaetan Tovondrainy, head of the marine project with WWF Tulear, said.
Last month, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums called on world leaders to set targets to keep atmospheric CO2 levels below 350 parts per million in order to prevent the mass extinction of hundreds of species,
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