Coral Reef Preservation

The Coral Reefs are beautiful underwater structures made mainly of calcium carbonate secreted by the corals. Coral Reefs are often called the “rain-forests of the sea” as they provide a home for a lot of tiny animals provide a home for the 25% of all the marine species (including fish, mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, tunicates and other cnidarians).

These beautiful natural structures are estimated to cover 284,300 km2 (109,800 sq mi), just under 0.1% of the oceans' surface area. The Indo-Pacific region (including the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia and the Pacific) account for 91.9% of this total. Southeast Asia accounts for 32.3% of that figure, while the Pacific including Australia accounts for 40.8%. Atlantic and Caribbean coral reefs account for 7.6%.

Nowadays, the coral reefs are very important for natives of the surrounded places as they provide an appealing ecosystem service to tourism, activity that has been growing during the past years attracting more people for their beautiful environment. However these beautiful places are on a great risk of disappearing as the overuse of reef resources and harmful land-use practices are threatening the existence of these magical places.

Some specific practices that are threatening the coral reefs are the coral mining, agricultural and urban runoff, pollution (organic and inorganic), overfishing, blast fishing and the digging of canals and access into islands and bays are localized threats to coral ecosystems.

Broader threats are sea temperature rise, sea level rise and pH changes from ocean acidification, all associated with greenhouse gas emissions. Also the mining of corals to produce jewelry an accessories is a very growing business in the black market of corals, but the fault comes from the buyers as the demand is increasing.

Although there is hope; even more with the use of the internet some online companies have started to join the cause, from big car manufacturers to even small Viagra Online companies are helping financially some organizations like Coral Cay, National Center for Coral Reef Research and Coral Restoration Foundation which are currently under action plans to restore the damaged ecosystems of corals all around the world.