Nathan Krohne

Professor Johnson
G341 Final Paper
April 27, 2017
The Double-Edged Sword

Roughly 500 million years ago, coral reefs made their emergence on earth. Starting out as

just a simple solitary organism, these animals adapted to their environment and evolved to the

modern corals we see today. Over their 500 million year existence there have been some extinction

events that have changed their evolutionary process; however, none of these events are comparable

to todays environment. Tourism and pollution are at an all-time high and are just two of many

human activities that threaten coral reefs today. These two activities go hand in hand and can be

greatly reduced with global communication, cooperation and management.

Tourism can be described as a double-edged sword to many countries. As of 2006, coral reef

tourism provides 30% of Belize gross domestic products while scientist say roughly 40% of Belizes

coral reef has been damaged (Diedrich 2007). Tourist activities can include: snorkeling, scuba

diving, fishing and boating. Hypothesis: A global network of marine protected reserves will lead to

greater diversity and more abundance of marine life. Data & Results: Perhaps the biggest lost in

coral reef destruction is the biodiversity. Scientist studying the Pristine coral reef in Indonesia

disclose that one square kilometer of pristine reef can generate about 37 tons of fish biomass

(Gomez 1997). On the other hand, a damaged coral reef can hold only a fraction of that. Summary:

Coral reefs are said to cover over 280,000 square kilometers across the ocean floor (Sandin at el.

2008). It is vitally important to establish a global network of marine protected reserves to keep this

number from diminishing as tourism continues to increase. Evaluate: Tourism is a thriving industry

that will only continue to grow each year. By placing more marine protected reserves on a global

scale, it will help diminish coral destruction in heavy tourist destinations. This will in return,

provide corals with long term sustainability and allow countries who depend on coral reef tourism

to continue their business for years to come.

 Along with tourism, pollution is another major human activity that continues to rise,

especially with tourism involved. Pollution can be broken up into 2 categories; marine and land

based. Hypothesis: placing regulations on land and marine pollution will lead to less disease and

better reproduction. Pollution is everywhere and is something that cant be stopped easily;

however, it can be regulated and monitored, especially in high tourist areas. Data & Results: land

pollution and runoff are becoming an increasing concern for coral reefs because they contain so

many toxic compounds such as: inorganic nutrients, pathogens, heavy metals, sediments and

freshwater. Coral diseases are increasing with pollution and it can be identified in almost all coral

ecosystems across the world. In 2003 there was an outbreak of white pox disease that killed 70% of

Acropora Palmata corals just outside of the Florida Keys. As of 2015, coral diseases have increased

20% in prevalence in the Caribbean (Wear & Thurber 2015). Summary: As the human population

continues to grow, the chances of more pollution are very likely. With that being said, pollution

cant necessarily be stopped but it can be regulated. This is a crucial step towards coral reef

sustainability and growth. Evaluation: Marine and land based pollution are continuing to pour into

our oceans and contaminating coral reefs in almost every location. By regulating and monitoring

the pollution in high tourist areas, coral disease will diminish and reproduction will begin to

increase.

Tourism and pollution are two stresses that often occur at the same time. These two

activities are a direct reflection of human negligence and can be regulated with guidelines and

reserves. There are several other stressors that will continue to impact coral reefs; however,

tourism and pollution are two identifiable and correctable stresses that must be addressed today.

Its important to understand coral reefs ecosystems are delicate and can be affected by numerous

events. Therefore, we must do our best to protect and limit these events as much as possible in

order to save our reefs for future generations. If we dont act today, then there will be no reefs for

tomorrow.
 References:
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Mesoamerican coral reef." Coral Reefs 32.3 (2013): 691-99.

Diedrich, A. "The impacts of tourism on coral reef conservation awareness and support in
coastal communities in Belize." Coral Reefs 26.4 (2007): 985-96.

Dubinsky, Z., and N. (Stambler. "Marine pollution and coral reefs." Global Change Biology
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Gomez, E. D. "Reef management in developing countries: a case study in the Philippines."

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Reopanichkul, Pasinee, Thomas A. Schlacher, R.w. Carter, and Suchai Worachananant.

"Sewage impacts coral reefs at multiple levels of ecological organization." Marine Pollution
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Sandin, Stuart, Jennifer Smith, Edward DeMartini, Elizabeth Dinsdale, and Simon Donner.
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Wear, Stephanie L., and Rebecca Vega Thurber. "Sewage pollution: mitigation is key for
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Figure 1. Showing the relationship between sewage runoff and corals. Just 1 type of runoff can affect reefs
in so many ways (Reopanichkul & Schlacher 2009).

Figure 2. The top map shows the current locations for all marine protected reserves. Bottom map show
locations needed for optimum coverage of coral reefs (Mora 2006).