Hey there, it’s me sounding the environmental alarm bells. Yesterday, a distressing article was posted online about the declining coral population.
So what’s the big deal, you might ask? Well, did you know…
- 25 percent of all marine species need coral reefs to live and grow.
- 40 percent of fish caught commercially use reefs to breed.
- They have medicinal value! Some produce compounds active against many common health problems, such as astham, heart disease, and leukemia.
- Coral reefs provide economic benefits via tourism.
So these tropical rainforests are pretty important… and in the US only, almost 50% of all coral reefs are in poor or fair condition, due to rising ocean temperatures, coastal development, land based pollution (e.g. sewage) and overfishing.Sadly, I read that worldwide,
- 20% of the world’s coral reefs have been effectively destroyed and show no immediate prospects of recovery.
- 24% of the world’s reefs are under imminent risk of collapse through human pressures; and a further 26% are under a longer term threat of collapse. [Source]
If there are any silver linings here, I would point to the growing mass of scientific documentation, and increased awareness from the population at large - hopefully this will spawn an uptick in efforts to save our coral reefs. If you want to get into the action, check out this very excellent list on 25 things you can do to help.
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