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Sustainability on Coral Reefs
Healthy coral reefs supply food and other resources for millions of people. Worldwide, the health of coral reefs is eroding because many of our actions create too much disturbance. Coral reefs are becoming less productive just when we need them the most
Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the oceans area, but they directly support millions of people by supplying food, employment, and other resources. Even more people benefit from coral reefs indirectly; this ecosystem helps feed 1 billion people in Asia alone.
The human population is nearly 7 billion people, and it is likely to grow to 9 billion by 2040. We need coral reefs (and other ecosystems) to supply more and more resources to support our growing numbers, but they are being increasingly threatened with destruction.
Coral reefs are under threat worldwide. Habitat destruction threatens 1/3 of all reef building corals with extinction.
Threats to this ecosystem include:
Coral reefs can recover from these disturbances if given enough time. However, the disturbance rate is building to the point where a new disturbance hits before the reef has recovered from the last one. This erodes the resilience and productivity of the coral reef ecosystem.
Ecosystem productivity typically increases with diversity, and coral reefs are no exception. This productive ecosystem is home for over ¼ of all marine fish species. Protecting coral reef diversity is crucial to keeping this ecosystem productive.
Diversity also affects coral reefs ability to resist disturbance. Species react to disturbance in various ways; some species cannot live in disturbed areas where other species will thrive. Diverse reefs are more resilient and have a better chance to resist and recover from disturbance.
We can protect coral reef productivity by:
Consensus statement highlighting common threats to Pacific Ocean ecosystems
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World Resources Institute. (1998, June). Reefs and people: What is at stake? World Resources Institute. Retrieved 1 April 2008 from http://www.wri.org/publication/content/8232
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