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	Just a sixth of the original coral cover exists today in the region, which is home to nine per cent of the world&#39;s coral reefs, according to study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the UN&#39;s environment agency.</div>
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	The report warned that &quot;Caribbean coral reefs have suffered massive losses of corals since the early 1980s due to a wide range of human impacts&quot; such as overfishing, pollution and global warming.</div>
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	In the past 40 years alone, 50 Caribbean reefs have been wiped out, the study showed, adding that &quot;most Caribbean coral reefs may disappear in the next 20 years&quot;.</div>
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	&quot;The rate at which Caribbean corals have been declining is truly alarming,&quot; said Carl Gustaf Lundin, who heads the IUCN&#39;s Global Marine and Polar Programme.</div>
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	AFP</div>

Caribbean corals could vanish over next 20 years: report

GENEVA - Caribbean coral reefs could disappear within 20 years as overfishing has all but wiped out the fish that feast on coral-smothering algae, the UN and an international conservation watchdog warned Wednesday.