Page 40 - Coral Reef Teachers Guide

Coral Reef Teacher’s Guide Benefits, Threats, and Solutions

Benefits, Threats, and Solutions

Benefits commercial (providing jobs through supplying

the world market demand for f ish), recreation-
THE VALUE OF CORAL REEFS al (providing jobs through fishing and tourism),

Coral reefs enrich the life of our oceans. They provide and ornamental (providing jobs and income for
tropical fish gatherers). The world consumption
food and shelter to countless thousands of species of seafood exceeds that of either pork or beef.
of plants and animals, and they exchange energy
and nutrients with other marine ecosystems, such Tourism is also an economic mainstay for many
as the open ocean. countries with coral reefs, as people come to
dive, snorkel, boat and fish. There are an es-
But people also directly benefit from reefs in many timated four million divers around the world,
ways. Coral reefs break waves, protecting shorelines many of whom make more than one dive trip
from erosion and keeping beaches and coastal each year (Figure 3-1). The Florida Keys and many
communities intact. other coral reef areas are economically depen-
dent upon their reefs for tourism and fishing. In
Healthy coral reefs supply finfish and shellfish upon the Caribbean, coastal tourism generates about
which many national economies depend. Reef- de- US $7 billion each year.
pendent fisheries include subsistence (providing a
protein source in coastal people’ s diets),

Figure 3-1. Scuba diver on Cuban reef. (Photo: Larry
Benvenuti)

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