CORAL REEF PROTECTION

1. CORAL REEF PROTECTION

2. GROUP MEMBERS: Sadé Melville-Peters, Akiel Garcia, Nariel Wilson, Akeel Guy, Jabari Bess, Donneil Jack.

3. Coral reef protection is a process of maintaining a healthy coral reef. Coral reefs are fragile environments that are very vulnerable to damage from boat anchors or accidental groundings. Some protection actions taken are as follows:

4. Conserve Water • The less water you use, the less wastewater eventually finds its way back to the ocean. Recycle • Keeping trash out of oceans and landfills will assist in the water quality.

5. Do not anchor on the reef ecosystems. Use mooring buoys when available, or another alternative is that boaters can protect the coral by dropping their anchors on sandy patches of sea bed. • Implementing laws against over-fishing.

6. Develop alternate livelihoods for fishers and regulate the trade in live reef fish and other threatened marine animals. • Implementing actions to reduce damage by pollution, coastal developments, and uncontrolled tourism, in order to protect coral reefs.

7. Bermuda Reefs are valued at $722 Million, and because of this high value, initiatives are put in place in order to protect the treasured coral reefs.

8. *Bermuda Coral Reef Sites*

9. In Bermuda, fish pots/traps were found to be damaging reef structure. In 1990, it was decided to close the $2 Million pot fishing industry. The World Resources Institute (WRI) said that they were protecting their coral reefs in this way. • Also in Bermuda, 15% of their coral reefs are protected in the South Shore Coral Reef Reserve, and the North Shore Coral Reef Reserve.

11. In closing, if the coral reefs are not protected, and are allowed to be damaged, tourists will stop visiting, the fishing industry will suffer, and the biodiversity of the environment will decline.

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