Often called “rainforests of the sea”, coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems on earth. Coral reefs are important for lots of reasons, some of which include protecting the coastline, providing a habitat for a huge variety of marine life, and they’re the source of nutrients for many marine chains.
Coral reefs are threatened by multiple impacts, such as water pollution, overfishing, and sedimentation. One of the most disturbing impacts is that divers intentionally break off parts of the coral reefs and sell them in gift shops. Another huge reason is that boats are anchoring on top of the coral reefs when even touching them lightly can harm them. Coral reefs are living organisms and not harming them is just as important as not harming marine animals.
But how can we stop threatening the coral reefs? An easy way to avoid threatening the coral reefs is to simply not buy coral reef souvenirs. We should never take anything out of the ocean or buy it in a shop. The country of Belize is doing a great job to prevent damage to coral reefs by making it illegal to sell coral reef items. Another way to protect the coral reefs is to avoid littering at the beach, or especially in the ocean. This trash is called “marine debris” and it can smoothen out the surface of the coral reefs as well as harm the marine animals which are required for the survival of the coral reefs.
For more information about how Belize is protecting our coral reefs, you can visit Nat Geo’s page about this topic:
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Global Issues, Written by Carson Land 