Just Started | Experienced | Environment | Locations | Blog
Just Started | Experienced | Environment | Locations | Blog
It was not too long ago that world authorities were suggesting that the beauty of our natural reefs would be lost to all over the next 100 years or so.
Today that picture has dramatically changed and sadly for the worse. Our reefs are quite simply and tragically DYING. Why?
The cause that most of us would anticipate would be that of civilisation and the impact borne out of it's progressive and ever rapid development. It is not quite that simple however, and in this brief feature we set out to explain the wide range of factors that when acting in unison are killing our reefs at a rate that experts now estimate will decimate the majority of the worlds reefs within one or two generations at most. Very bad news indeed.
So what are these destructive mechanisms that bring with them so much havoc? You may be thinking that it is partly down to the actions of the rapidly growing diving community, after all 10's of thousands of us dive the worlds reefs every year and whilst it is true that there are those among us who are careless and not overly concerned about the havoc they cause, it is also true that they are very much in the minority.
We often in these pages state (and restate) the need for dive training, it is training (coupled with experience) that can really make a difference to our effect on delicate coral ecosystems. Good trim is important as is effective buoyancy control and both are key areas needing improvement in all new divers.
Corals are highly susceptible to damage by touch whether that be direct or accidental by way of a dangling spg or octopus etc. These causes valid though they are represent but a very small fraction of the overall problem. Recreational activities above the water can be even more damaging. Take for instance the power boats plying up and down the shallow waters just offshore from many popular tourist resorts. Everyone above the surface most definitely look to be have a really great time and yet it is their underwater turbulence that inflicts significant damage on these delicate marine organisms living (yet dying), just a few metres below.
Another culprit are boats that
anchor inappropriately often
dragging their
anchors through easily and
permanently damaged coral
formations.
Then there are the activities resulting from the growth of communities close to the sea or connecting rivers. With growth such as that prevalent today, there is much destruction to the natural elements that under normal circumstances maintain the surface stability of the landmass. Deforestation is of course widely publicised and especially from the perspective of climate change and the devastation to our once rich reserves of hardwood timber and the varied plant and animal life that came with it.
However there is another aspect that is perhaps not as publicised as it should be and that is the decimation of the marine environment, caused by the inevitable runoff of surface soils into nearby rivers and then subsequently into the sea. Add to this all the pollution of surface drained waters by fertilisers and their derivatives and you have the perfect growth medium for the corels natural enemy - Algae.
The convergence of this nutrient rich, light dimming run-off creates a substantial shift in the ecological balance in favour of Algae which is fed by the nutrient and fertiliser rich supply. Algae is the natural enemy of the living reef in that it quite literally smothers the surface of delicate corals to the extent that they cannot maintain growth, ultimately dying altogether.
This situation is further exasperated by the continual reduction in fish stocks brought about by over fishing. Fish, are a natural control agent of Algae as it forms a significant part of their diet. So, fewer fish, more nutrient, more algae – dead reef - it's that simple!
What can we do?
Well, as responsible divers we can make every effort to respect the delicate nature of what we are diving upon. We can strive to improve our buoyancy control. We can refrain from touching (or even standing on) this delicate and defenceless ecology and we can explain to others why we must all respect what is there, because if we don’t, such startling beauty will not be there for very much longer and this living and spectacular treasure will be something our children and grandchildren will only read about rather than experience for themselves.
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