When you visualize a coral reef, images of brilliant corals, flawless blue water, and dynamic marine creatures ring a bell.
Healthy coral reefs are colorful and extraordinarily biodiverse ecosystems. Indeed, while coral reefs make up about under 1% of the seafloor, they house almost 25% of life in the ocean. No wonder they are also called "the rainforests of the ocean.”
However, aside from that, they are significant, both environmentally and economically.
Why are Coral Reefs Important?
Stating that coral reefs significantly benefit the marine ecosystem is just the icing. Coral reefs are more than just these vibrant colors and beauty.
Biodiversity
Coral reefs are home to 25% of all marine species in the world.
Food Security
Around the world, coral reefs are essential in providing food to more than 500 million individuals living on or near the coast.
Income
Coral reefs offer livelihood to many people in the tourism industry, including hotel laborers, snorkel guides, dive guides, and that's only the tip of the iceberg.
Protection
They fill in as natural marine barriers that shield coastal communities from high-impact waves during typhoons, hurricanes, and tsunamis.
Medicine
A few marine species with coral reefs have found (or are finding) essential therapeutic elements.
A 2012 study compared the financial worth of reefs and other marine ecosystems. Corals were ranked first, estimated at $500,000 per hectare in the United States.
A well-supervised reef in the Indian and Pacific oceans can produce 3 to 5 tons of fish and shellfish per .38 square mile yearly.
But the reality is….
Unfortunately, this charming picture is frequently different from the brutal reality seen by numerous coral reefs.
From one side of the world to the other, these sensitive reef ecosystems are becoming progressively more without color and life because of the adverse consequences of anthropogenic (artificial) environmental change.
Coral Reefs are in Danger
Coral reefs are deteriorating and dying at an alarming rate due to pressing human and natural factors, including overfishing and degradation, ocean acidification, and climate change.
Researchers have assessed that 75% of the world's corals are in danger, and 10% have died. Below are the threats these most significant living structures face worldwide.
Coral Bleaching
Coral bleaching occurs once coral and zooxanthellae can't keep up with their symbiotic relationship.
In this situation, corals discharge zooxanthellae from their polyps and, hence, lose their algal pigmentation.
Since zooxanthellae provide corals with food and color, the ejection of these algae will prompt a white and "bleached" appearance.
Factors that lead to coral bleaching:
Ocean Warming is the main factor in coral bleaching. Open oceans absorb almost all the excess heat from the greenhouse gas effect, increasing water temperatures. An increase of just 1ºC above average can result in coral bleaching.
Ocean Acidification: The sea absorbs carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and causes the sea's pH to drop, prompting ocean acidification. This decline in pH has unfortunate results, particularly for oceanic carbonate organisms like coral reefs. This phenomenon lessens their capacity to construct skeletons, making them considerably more prone to erosion.
Sunscreen: Shockingly, sunscreen likewise causes coral bleaching. It is assessed that 4000 to 6000 metric tons of sunscreen consistently washes off beachgoers and is left in the sea. Sunscreen can destroy corals because numerous sunscreens contain harmful chemicals to zooxanthellae.
Overfishing
The growing demand for fish has prompted the overfishing of reef species. Overfishing of specific species can influence the ecological equilibrium and biodiversity of the reef. For instance, overly fishing herbivorous fish can result in high degrees of algal development that can choke out coral.
Destructive Fishing Methods
One of the most accessible ways to catch fish is cyanide and dynamite. But these practices can't target one species. Specifically, they harm everything and permanently so where they are used. Harming coral reefs affects the whole reef ecosystem and, along these lines, promptly affects the livelihood of related anglers.
Unsustainable Tourism
Tourism is one of the biggest industries in the world and produces a lot of income for nations. When unregulated, tourism tensions can harm the general environment: reckless divers, unsecured boat anchors, hotels discharging untreated wastewater (polluting the water, making sedimentation, while empowering the development of algae that rival corals).
Pollution
Pollution from inland human activities can harm coral reefs, especially when rivers move them into coastal waters. Nutrient enhancement (eutrophication) advances the growth of algae. Macroalgae then inhabit the substrates used by coral larvae. Once these algae multiply, the reef can't recover, and this is often irreversible. Whether it is plastic or chemical, pollution harms marine ecosystems, which are hard to recuperate.
Trade for Aquariums
Approximately 20 million tropical fish and 12 million hard corals are sold annually, primarily to private people (UN, 2003). The majority of marine aquariums contain species caught in nature. The dangers of this trade include the use of cyanide for collection, over-exploitation of target species, and significant mortality associated with inadequate maintenance and transportation.
Coral Diseases
In 10 years, the rate of diseases created in corals seems to have expanded significantly, adding to the deterioration of coral reef habitats worldwide.
Invasive Species
Species similar to the Acanthaster planci that have been moved, purposely or accidentally, to regions where they don't usually exist because of human activity are called "invasive species."
This is frequently because predators and parasites that assume a regulatory role are absent. These species could then multiply quickly by fundamentally adjusting the ecosystem. The harm these species bring can be destructive: modification of ecosystem elements, loss of biodiversity, decrease in environmental strength, and loss of resources.
How Can We Save Coral Reefs?
Coral reefs give significant ecosystem benefits since they protect coastal regions, are a wellspring of food and medications, and are used as recreational spaces. Though a few species in coral reefs can adjust to anthropogenic environmental change dangers, we must effectively protect our coral reef environments.
We should do as such because reefs provide us with countless advantages and because we must protect the marine lives that depend on healthy reef environments for survival. It is estimated that 90% of corals are endangered and could disappear by 2050. There are many ways to stop that from happening.
The less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater will pollute the oceans. Build wastewater gardens (environmental waste recycling systems) in your home, school, or community. Every simple thing you do to save coral reefs has an impact!
2. Use environmental or natural fertilizers in your gardens and lawns.
Even if you live thousands of miles from a coral reef, chemicals and pesticides flow into the water system, contaminate the sea, and can go on sea currents and flows at significant stretches, causing danger to coral reefs and other ocean life.
3. Plant a Tree.
Plant a tree, and you will lessen runoff into the seas. You will likewise add to the changing global warming of our planet and the rising temperatures of our waters.
4. Arrange a seashore clean-up.
Plastic contaminates sea waters and damages coral reefs and other ocean life.
5. Observe safe diving and snorkeling.
When visiting a coral reef, observe reef-safe diving and swimming. Avoid standing, touching, or anchoring your boat on the reef.
6. Spread awareness.
Please talk with your family, friends, and neighbors and inform them about coral reefs and the rainforest of the ocean, and explain the coral reef situation to them. Also, they can be provided with information on the reefs through books, videos, and social media. Invite them so that they can get involved and make a difference in conserving corals.
7. Communicate with the government.
Keep in touch with your government representatives and request that they take action to protect coral reefs, stop sewage pollution of our seas, increase marine protected regions, and find ways to combat climate change.
8. Participate in an environmental organization.
Support and volunteer for environmental organizations that protect your area's coral reefs, oceans, rivers, lakes, or different waters. Clean water is significant all over the place. All watersheds influence the seas and the coral reefs in the long run.
9. Educate yourself more.
Please find out about coral reefs, their astounding biodiversity, and the exceptional job they play as couriers for the health of our seas and our world.
10. Opt for a reef-friendly sunscreen.
It would help if you were mindful while using sunscreen. Some typical sunscreen ingredients, including oxybenzone and octinoxate, have been demonstrated to be toxic to corals or even kill corals. Sunscreens that use non-nano zinc oxide as their active ingredients don't add to coral bleaching. Even better, reduce sunscreen use by wearing a long-sleeved shirt or rash guard to prevent burns from the sun.
The world is ever-changing and growing, and the information above does not adequately explain how coral reefs significantly impact our lives. Saving corals would mean a lot if humanity cared about future generations.
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