We won´t take long to share with you 14 wats you can do to help coral reefs help you.The fact is that we need coral reefs. Our lives heavily depend on them. But coral reefs as we know them are changing, are degrading. We need to understand how they are changing and how we can adapt to the coral reefs of the future if we are to continue enjoying their services. To buy us some time, we invite you to change some behaviors that can stop or reduce some of the causes of reef degradation.We have collected some recommendations available on the net. Start today implementing one of these actions and join us in promoting natural reef recovery and adaptation.Copied and modified from this source.
Healthy Coral Reefs...
In developing countries, coral reefs contribute about a quarter of the total fish catch, providing food and work for more than a billion people. Lobsters, red snappers, groupers, conch, and many more seafood are caught at coral reefs.
Coral reefs represent an economic value to the world of $ 36 billion per year and support more than 70 million trips a year, making these fragile and beautiful organisms a powerful engine of coastal and marine tourism.
Coral reefs form natural barriers that protect the coasts from the erosive forces of the sea, thus protecting coastal homes, agricultural land and beaches. Coral reefs are the first-aid kits of the 21st century, with drugs focused on marine organisms.
Covering less than 1% of the Earth’s surface, they host 25% of all marine fish species. Coral reefs support approximately 4,000 species of fish and 800 types of coral. Corals are an integral part of the reef, providing its structure.
Here are 14 things you can do to help coral reefs help you. Corales de Paz, together with
NOAA and The
Nature Conservancy, recommend:
- Choose sustainable seafood. Learn how to make smart seafood choices at www.fishwatch.gov.
- Conserve Water. The less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater that eventually find their ways back into the ocean.
- Volunteer. Volunteer in the local beach or reef cleanups. If you don’t live near the coast, get involved in protecting your watershed.
- Corals are already a gift. Don’t give them as presents. It takes corals decades or longer to create reef structures, so leave them on the reef.
- Long-lasting light bulbs are a bright idea. Energy-efficient light bulbs reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is one of the leading threats to coral reef survival.
- If you dive, don’t touch. Coral reefs are alive. Stirred-up sediment can smother corals.
- If you dive, become a Green Fins member. Green Fins is a proven conservation management approach that leads to a measurable reduction in negative environmental impacts associated with diving and snorkeling. For more information, visit greenfins.net/how-to-join.
- Check sunscreen active ingredients. Seek shade between 10 am & 2 pm, use Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) Sunwear, and choose sunscreens with chemicals that don’t harm marine life. For more information, visit oceanservice.noaa.gov/sunscreen.
- Be a marine crusader. In addition to picking up your own trash, carry away the trash that others have left behind.
- Become a coral gardener. Join worldwide efforts to plant and restore corals in the Caribbean, Colombia, Mexico, Maldives, and Micronesia.
- Don’t send chemicals into our waterways. Nutrients from excess fertilizer increase algae growth that blocks sunlight to corals.
- Practice safe boating. Anchor in sandy areas away from coral and seagrasses so that the anchor and chain do not drag on nearby corals.
- Raise awareness of the importance of corals. You can share this page with your friends using the hashtag #CoralsRocks to let them know that coral reefs are critically important.
- Join Corales de Paz. We create opportunities for you to become a coral reef ambassador. Become a Reef Check EcoDiver to monitor the health of coral reefs and/or a Reef Repair Diver to learn how to rehabilitate them.
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