Coral Reefs
from Class Afloat News, November 18, 1996

In the waters below the tropical island paradises that Concordia has visited lies a perhaps more dazzling ecosystem. Teeming with life, coral reefs offer a look into another world, one populated with brilliantly colored fish and walls of swaying corals. These fragile habitats are in danger though, not only in the Pacific but across the world's oceans.

Human activities are the primary culprit. One part of the problem is deforestation. When there are no trees to keep the topsoil from washing away with rains, this layer ends up in waterways that empty into the ocean. Marine life suffocates underneath this deposited covering. More poisonous forms of runoff also pollute the oceans including chemicals used in factories and on farms as well as sewage from urban centers.

Activities at sea are also threatening coral reefs. Overfishing has altered ecosystems so that they are no longer resilient. Ships often dump their waste at sea or disrupt habitats when they anchor. Even tourist activities like diving also ironically harm the very species they are there to observe.

Another potential threat is global warming. If ice caps melt, sea levels will rise. Up to 90 percent of coral reefs would be affected by even a slight increase. The result is coral "bleaching," a process which turns reefs white, thereby killing them. Ignorance has played its role, and developing an awareness of how human activities are harmful is key to reversing current trends. A growing community of concerned scientists and policy makers has arisen to address this grave situation.

Among these groups is the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), which helps nations protect the valuable resource that their economies depend upon. According to Dr. Ian Dight of the UN Environmental Program, "The ICRI [attempts] to stop reef destruction and the unsustainable use of the world's coral reef resources, to expand and manage marine protected areas, and to network the science-based information for better decision making." Established at the end of 1994, the group has participating nations that span the globe.

The World Bank has also funded the creation of oceanic parks in the Philippines and Indonesia, with other countries expected to follow their lead. Already there are about 800 oceanic parks, but the work has just begun. According to an ICRI 1995 estimate, reefs in 93 countries are in danger. Jamaica offers an example close to home: 90 percent of its reefs have shrunk in size. Now is the time to act. We must ensure that our underwater landscapes remain filled with splendor.

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