Impact of Tourism on Coral Reefs Worldwide

Impact of Tourism on Coral Reefs Worldwide Correspondent: The coral reef surely the most spectacular of underwater environments taking up to 2 million years to grow coral reefs are the rainforests of the seas and they are arouse just as much passion. There seemingly infinite variety is one of the world’s natural wonders and like the rainforests they’re marine counterpart is disappearing farms but alarm bells are starting to ring wherever in the world there are reefs of coral. Near Cartagena, Columbia dynamiting is the most obviously destructive threat. Fish and coral are blown to pieces to provide incomes such as the desperation of local people in a place with few jobs. Jose: (Fisherman)-We’re no experts but we use dynamite often and we know which type is right. Correspondent: The people are adapting to make a living. Traditional ways that respected the marine environment are fast disappearing. The tragedy is that with them go a sustainable livelihood. Fisherman: I wish we didn’t have to destroy the islands or the sea but the tourist and the rich people want to get fish and use corals. We have to provide them anyway we can. Jose: We know this destroys the corals but this way I get more fish. No fish means no food for my family. Correspondent: In Sri Lanka coral reefs are just too tempting to impoverish fishermen with families to support. Although officially banned coral is scooped up for building hotels. It’s burnt in kilns to make cement. Indirectly tourists are killing coral. Raw sewage flowing from hotels generates algal blooms that starve living coral of light and oxygen slowly reducing them to a lifeless mass and souvenirs from coral reefs could be all that’s left of some habitats killed off by trinket gatherers selling to ignorant customers. The authorities have to act fast. The Seychelles of the Indian Ocean, this is one country that has realized the reefs are more valuable kept in pristine condition. 115 Island spread over a million square km. the coral reefs here are amongst the most extensive in the world and amongst the least studied. One reef the Aldabra Atoll has been declared a world heritage site. Fishing is controlled and dynamiting is ban but there are still threats, reefs are being blasted to create swimming areas for tourists rare corals and shells, some listed as endangered are still sold to visitors and silt from farming on land is also killing corals but a network of marine parks in the Seychelles have been created and conservation enjoys popular support. With luck visitors will have something to come for and understand why they can’t take any of it home.