i wrote my final paper on the destruction of coral reefs for AP environmental science last year. hope it helps:
Coral Reef Destruction
"Cradle to Myriads of Species, Millennia to Create, Moments to Destroy"-Jim Morris
Your browser may not support display of this image. Coral reefs are known to be the greatest location for biodiversity. Coral reefs in itself are multiple organisms coexisting in a single community. It is made up of coral polyps and their limestone shells in which they seek shelter. The reason for the great biodiversity of coral reefs is the nutrient-rich water surrounding them. Coral reefs have very “high ‘recycling’ rates” due to the organic nature of the organisms (Bartzat). Without its removal and conversion of CO2 from the ocean water, the CO2 content in the water would rise drastically and affect all living things on earth. That fact alone should be enough evidence that coral reefs are too valuable to knowingly destroy them like we’ve been doing for decades. However, that isn’t all they are useful for. Coral reefs are home to an enormous quantity of different plant and animal species and are the marine equivalent of a tropical rainforest. The catch of fish from coral reefs feeds tens of millions of people annually and supplies many with jobs (Ocean World, 4). Unfortunately, ten percent of the worlds reefs have already been destroyed by humans and according to the Planetary Coral Reef Foundation (PCDF), “an estimated 25% of coral reefs have already disappeared and an estimated two-thirds of all coral reefs are at risk today.” This is an enormous percentage of coral reefs in danger of being destroyed. Furthermore, approximately 88% of the most species rich reefs in Southeast Asia are at risk of destruction (pcrf.org). Since the rapid destruction of coral reefs is solely the fault of humans, it is imperative that we find ways to avoid destruction of coral reefs, quickly, and without furthering the damages.
Your browser may not support display of this image. Although very useful to fish, plants, and humans alike, coral is extremely sensitive to both salinity and temperature. It is considered an indicator species because of how quickly it responds to the minutest change in climate. The slightest change in either temperature or salinity could determine if a coral lives or dies. When coral is exposed to harsher conditions than it can’t handle, oftentimes the algae will perish. Since the algae are what give the coral its color in the first place, without the algae, the coral becomes white. This is called coral bleaching.
Coral reefs are directly affected by humans mainly by pollution and dangerous fishing methods. Pollution is more of an issue in reefs located near developed countries, specifically off the coast of Florida and Australia. Run-off is another source of pollution harming reefs. Due to watershed, land water moves into the ocean carrying nutrients as well as harmful substances such as pesticides, herbicides and fungicides from farming (Bartzat). This leads to bleaching of the coral. This is a major sign of coral destruction in the area. The other direct human contribution to destruction of coral reefs is the dangerous methods of fishing on coral reefs. This problem is more often seen in developing areas such as Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. It is extremely popular to fish in these areas, however it comes with a consequence. Too many large fish are being taken from the ecosystem at a time with no time to reproduce and maintain a steady population. Consequently, this will lead to an exponential growth in organisms which will destroy coral. The algae that damage coral are the diet of the fish who are being harvested, leaving the harmful algae population to grow exponentially. This certain algae cover the top of the coral, preventing photosynthesis thus killing the coral polyp. Another harsh method of fishing along the reefs is called dynamite fishing. Fishermen Your browser may not support display of this image. will place explosives on the coral, which ultimately destroy the coral, revealing the fish, and stun them, making them easier to capture. The last directly harmful method is Cyanide fishing. A fisherman will pour cyanide poison into the water which will also stun and kill the majority of the fish, and the coral in the process. Once the cyanide of poured, the fisherman will enter the water and break apart the coral, extracting fish from the crevices (Ocean World, 6). Direct destruction of coral is the most obvious and preventable type of destruction, and yet it has to be stopped.
Indirectly, Humans have caused and accelerated destruction of coral reefs as well. Global warming and sedimentation are the two major factors that are indirectly caused by humans. Humans, recently, have been consuming immense amounts of fossil fuels. Thus creating greenhouse gases which in turn trap ultra violet rays from the sun, warming the atmosphere an