The blue crust coral shares many of the same threats that are faced by coral species around the world, including several specific threats to shallow water corals, such as pollution and sedimentation. Although less susceptible to bleaching than many coral genera, the Porites genus has proven to be more prone to the emerging threat of disease, which is causing widespread reef deterioration worldwide (1).
However, the major threat to all corals is global climate change, which is expected to cause rising sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification, and more frequent, severe storms, which can damage reefs. Climate change will also increase the risk, frequency and duration of coral bleaching, even for the more hardy genera such as Porites, and will make corals more susceptible to disease, parasites and predators, such as the crown of thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) (1) (7) (8) (9).
Worldwide, there is also increasing pressure on coastal resources resulting from accelerating human population growth and development. There has been a significant increase in domestic and agricultural waste in the oceans, leading to pollution and sedimentation. The effects of the over-exploitation of reef resources, over-fishing and destructive fishing practices have also had damaging knock-on effects on many coral reefs (7) (10). Porites species are also heavily collected for the aquarium trade (1).