You should try to help the Corals!

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Coral reefs are important to us financially and biogically.

Here are some fast facts taken from the panda organisation (http://www.panda.org/)

Counting only the economic value of fisheries, tourism, and shoreline protection, the costs of destroying 1km of coral reef ranges between US$137,000-1,200,000 over a 25-year period (World Resources Institute (WRI))

Properly managed coral reefs can yield an average of 15 tonnes of fish and other seafood per square kilometre each year (WRI)
Southeast Asia's coral reef fisheries alone are estimated to yield US$ 2.4 billion annually (WRI press release)

More than 80% of the world's shallow reefs are severely over-fished (Australian Government Report (PDF file))

32 of the 34 recognised animal Phyla are found on coral reefs compared to 9 Phyla in tropical rainforests (Status of Coral Reefs of the World, GCRMN)

Occupying less than one quarter of 1% of the marine environment, coral reefs are home to more than 25% of all known marine fish species (WRI Reefs at Risk)

58% of the world's coral reefs are potentially threatened by human activity (WRI Reefs at Risk)

Coral reefs are found in 109 countries; significant reef degradation has occurred in 93 (Seaweb)

From 1876-1979 only three bleaching events were recorded, whereas 60 are on record from 1980 until 1993 (Glynn, P.W. 1993. Coral reef bleaching: ecological perspectives. Coral Reefs 12:1-17); in 2002 more than 400 events were recorded (Reef education (Australia), UNEP)

We have already lost 27% of the world's coral reefs. If present rates of destruction are allowed to continue, 60% of the world's coral reefs will be destroyed over the next 30 years (Cesar, Degradation report, PDF file)

More than 450 million people live within 60 kilometres of coral reefs, with the majority directly or indirectly deriving food and income from them (Seaweb)

The total economic value of Indonesia 's reefs is estimated at US$1.6 billion annually (WRI press release)

The total economic value of Philippine reefs is estimated at US$1.1 billion annually (WRI press release)

Coral reefs in the Malacca Straits have an economic value of US$563 million (WRI press Release)

Southeast Asia is considered the global epicentre of marine diversity. Its 100,000km2 of coral reefs (34% of the world's total) are home to over 600 of the 800 reef-building coral species in the world (WRI press release)

Indonesia and the Philippines hold 77% of Southeat Asia's coral reefs and nearly 80% of threatened reefs (WRI press release)

Thank you for your attention and please comment!

Corals will die if we do not stop the pollution. --- Try your best to save them!
at 5:53 PM