How does human activity affect coral reefs?

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How does Human activity impact the coral reefs? For a long time, human overconsumption has depleted the earth’s resources and as a result, has led to the extinction of any important species in all eco systems. Coral Reefs are a major component to the ocean and its marine food chain. Just like many other ecosystems, the health of coral reefs in general is in a decline, for many reasons. Some reasons include but are not limited to: CO2 emissions, Overfishing, Explosive fishing, and Pollution. Coral Reefs are again one of the most diverse yet fragile ecosystems on the planet, they are also regarded to many marine biologists as “the rainforest of the oceans”. The reefs are not only important to the species from there itself but are also protecting species living near coral reefs. The decline in health won’t only result in harming species in the oceans but also many land creatures as well. The effects of over-fishing have/will break the food chain. Causing cases of over/undergrowth to many species linked with coral. However on the other hand, there are many organizations dedicated to protecting environments that are being threatened due to human activity. In all tropical countries, coral is physically being damaged due to the increasing number of tourists that travel to tropical countries. In south-east Asia alone, the amount of tourist visits from 1996 to 2012 has increased by over 50 million . The increasing amount of tourists and tourist activities in tropical islands resulted in more direct and physical damage to the coral. “Tourist activities, such as snorkeling and diving, can damage coral reefs if they are not conducted responsibly” . When doing these things, many tourists do not consider the harm that they are causing coral ... ... middle of paper ... ...nvironment if his/her decision threatens to take away money from the large fossil fuel companies, which in turn will stop donating money to the Politian. Works Cited http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/habitat/coral_index.cfm http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/corals/coral07_importance.html http://www.usfunds.com/media/images/investor-alert/_2013/2013-06-28/China-Robust-Growth-Southeast-Asia-06282013-LG.gif http://right-tourism.com/issues/marine-activities/coral-damage/ http://www.unep.org/resourceefficiency/Business/SectoralActivities/Tourism/Activities/WorkThematicAreas/EcosystemManagement/CoralReefs/TourismsImpactonReefs/tabid/78799/Default.aspx http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcorals/values/tourismrecreation/ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090309162125.htm http://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Big-Oil-Funding-U.S.-Politics.html

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