The Importance Of Coral Reefs (Essay Sample)

Coral reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Thousands of coral species live in shallow, warm tropical regions. Their most common features are their beautiful colours and majestic structures formed by living animals called polyps.

In addition, they are vital to us because they provide food, shelter and nursery grounds for 1 million aquatic species, including commercially caught fish.
These reefs are home to 25% of marine life, and some 4,000 species of fish depend on them at some stage of their lives.
Coral reefs protect shorelines from storms and erosion, provide employment to local communities, and provide recreational opportunities. Fishing, diving and snorkelling on and near coral reefs generate hundreds of millions of dollars for local businesses.

They are also a source of food and new medicines. More than a million people depend on coral reefs for food, income and protection. Coral reef plants and animals are an important source of new drugs being developed to treat cancer, arthritis, bacterial infections in humans, Alzheimer's, heart disease, viruses and other diseases. The net economic value of the world's coral reefs is estimated to be close to $10 billion per year. These ecosystems are culturally significant to indigenous peoples around the world.

Aside from their economic value and contribution to medical science, coral reefs also protect our shores from the impact of storms and harsh waves. Without them, we would have to rely on artificial dikes that are expensive, less efficient and environmentally unfriendly. Bleached corals also contribute to the overfishing crisis by removing links in the food web and depriving some fish and crustaceans of places to spawn and develop. Anyone who relies on these animals as their primary source of income or protein is in trouble. After all, reef tourism brings in billions of dollars and supports thousands of jobs each year.

Coral bleaching which is what Richard Vevers aspired to capture on film. Corals have a symbiotic relationship with microscopic algae called zooxanthellae that live in their tissues. These algae are the coral’s primary food source and give them their colour.  This phenomenon is normally characterised by the expulsion of the zooxanthellae algae, loss of algal pigmentation, or both. Coral bleaching events have had serious effects on corals and reefs worldwide. What is crucial to the understanding of zooxanthellae expulsion and bleaching is how the density of zooxanthellae within the coral is changing, if at all, under the prevailing range of environmental conditions

According to a study, the world has lost about 14% of its coral reefs in the past decade. There are many reasons for coral bleaching, such as ocean acidification, localised pressures such as overfishing, unsustainable tourism, poor coastal management, but the main reason is global warming. Even a 1 or 2 degree rise in sea temperature can have devastating effects on the lifespan of coral reefs.

Coral reefs are home to a variety of different species. When the reef collapses, these species will be on alert and threatened with extinction.
When we think of climate change, the first things that come to mind are global warming, wildfires and rising temperatures, but we never realise that our life-supporting oceans are being severely affected by our actions.
Most of the oxygen we breathe comes from the oceans. The ocean absorbs much of the heat that is released in the atmosphere due to human activities which leads to the warming of the oceans.
We see grim pictures painted by the media on our screens about environment degradation but corals are not gone yet.