Why Coral Reefs Are So important?
Imagine the help the ocean can be to human life.... and know the amount of damage we do to it.
- Coral Reefs are the ocean’s lungs, vital for absorbing carbon dioxide as coral polyps turn carbon dioxide into limestone shells.
- Occupying less than one quarter of 1% of the marine environment, coral reefs are home to more than 25% of all known marine fish species (WRI Reefs at Risk, N. Geographic)
- Southeast Asia is considered the global epicentre of marine diversity. Its 100,000km2 of coral reefs (34% of the world's total) are home to over 600 of the 800 reef-building coral species in the world (WRI press release)
- Counting only the economic value of fisheries, tourism, and shoreline protection, the costs of destroying 1km of coral reef ranges between US$137,000-1,200,000 over a 25-year period (World Resources Institute (WRI))
- Properly managed coral reefs can yield an average of 15 tonnes of fish and other seafood per square kilometre each year (WRI)
- Southeast Asia's coral reef fisheries alone are estimated to yield US$ 2.4 billion annually (WRI press release)
- Coral Reefs also act as barrier reefs for the ocean and the shore, protecting against waves, storms, floods and erosion.
- - Coral Reef plants and animals are important sources of new medicine being developed to treat cancer, arthritis, viruses and other diseases. There is still so much to be learned and researched for these coral species.
- - We have already lost 27% of the world's coral reefs. If present rates of destruction are allowed to continue, 60% of the world's coral reefs will be destroyed over the next 30 years (Cesar, Degradation report, )
- Coral reefs are like underwater cities built from living animals (coral polyps)which usually live together in colonies. Hard corals, which are the only types of corals to form coral reefs, produce limestone skeletons.
- Corals get their vibrant colors from the algae they host.
Imagine the help the ocean can be to human life.... and know the amount of damage we do to it.
