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The State of the Reef

Coral reefs around the world are under - Corals need very specific conditions to
siege - FACT. Threats from over-fishing, survive - a narrow range of water
urban coastal encroachment and rising sea temperatures, access to sunlight and low
temperatures are destroying sensitive pollution levels.
corals and devastating the marine life - More than 14 million hectares/35
they support. million acres of coral reefs have been
According to The United Nations, in the destroyed by human activity - 10 percent
last four years ten percent of the of the world's reefs have died during the
world's reefs have died, and nearly a last four years alone, a number that
quarter are sick and suffering. Think could rise to 20-30 percent by 2010
about that for a second. More than half without immediate and decisive action to
of the living reefs are seriously preserve and sustain those that are left.
threatened, and scientists estimate that There are a number of reef threats one
if today's trends continue mankind will has to be aware of. These include the
cause the irreversible loss of reef following:
formations and related fish species - Global warming is perhaps the most
within 40 years. serious threat to healthy coral reefs.
Fortunately, there is a growing dedicated Scientists expect sea temperatures to
global effort to reversing this decline rise several degrees in the next 20
and to finding new - and sustainable - years. When water temperatures get too
ways to manage the last of Earth's high, corals turn white or bleach and
remaining coral reefs. Here are some reef eventually die.
facts for you to consider: - More than 75 percent of the earth's
- Coral reefs are home to more than 25 people live in coastal areas, bringing to
percent of all marine life - yet occupy pristine coral reefs such threats as
less than one percent of the ocean over-fishing, pollution and direct
floors. physical damage. Asia's population is
- Coral reefs have been around 100 expected to double in the next 25 years -
million years and are the largest living the threat of further reef
structures on earth. Australia's Great over-exploitation grows as well.
Barrier Reef is more than 2,000 km long - Fishing with explosives, as in Burma
and can be seen from outer space. and Thailand, and poisons in Indonesia
- Scientists have found as many as 3,000 not only kills fish but reefs as well. In
different species living on one reef in the Philippines, about 180,000 kg of
Indonesia. cyanide is dumped into the ocean each
- Coral reefs protect shorelines from year, badly degrading local reefs.
erosion and storm damage. Without reefs, - Sedimentation caused by run-off from
many islands, in the Banda Sea for poorly planned and managed construction,
example, and low lying mainland would be logging or mining, muddy reef waters with
underwater. silt, cutting them off from the sunlight
- Coral reefs are a tremendous medical they need to survive. There are now no
resource, providing chemical compounds coastal reefs remaining in Phuket.
used in antihistamines, antibiotics and - Water pollution from sewage, oil and
other medications for illnesses ranging other chemicals can poison coral reefs.
from asthma to leukaemia and heart Ordinary rubbish dumped in the ocean can
disease. Indeed, more than half of all also kill coral reef life - plastic bags
new cancer drug research focuses on have been found in the stomachs of reef
marine organisms. fish and turtles. Both these degrading
- More than 350 million people worldwide activities are taking place in Phi Phi
depend on corals for food and survival. Islands.
- Corals are animals-not rocks or - Coastal development, which involves
plants-and they come in two types, hard altering coastline habitats and the
and soft. cutting of mangrove forests, also
- Some deep water corals grow very threatens the ocean's fragile ecosystem.
slowly-as little as 30 cm in 1,000 years, The small group of Thailand Dugongs is
while some shallow water corals may grow under serious threat at Koh Turatao due
up to 15 cm per year. to this very problem.




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