Few would connect the bleaching of coral reefs to the spread of a deadly virus. Yet the 2013 West African Ebola outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people, can be traced back, in part, to the slow unraveling of an ecosystem beneath the waves.

Across West Africa’s coastline, coral reefs once thrived as vibrant underwater cities. They sustained fisheries, fed millions, and buffered communities from the forces of the sea. But over the decades, overfishing, rising ocean temperatures, and pollution began dismantling this natural foundation. As the reefs died, fish populations plummeted. Coastal families who once depended on the ocean for food........

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