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Protection
But coral reefs, mangrove swamps and other shallow-water habitats are more than just good places to get food. They also protect coastlines where most people live. In places along the Sri Lankan coast, for instance, where corals have been illegally mined, the great Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 had no trouble barreling right into shore, taking lives and destroying property. Coral-protected areas saw much less trouble.
Then there's the Orissa Coast of India, where salt-tolerant mangrove trees were stripped away to make room for shrimp farms. In 1999, the storm swells from a cyclone, normally stopped by the mangroves, roared inland and drowned an estimated 10,000 people. With the majority of humanity living in coastal areas, the value of natural systems protecting the land is incalculable.
More than a quarter of Earth's tropical coastlines are protected by mangroves, but that number is shrinking. Since mangroves also serve as a natural sewage filter and home to many kinds of commercially valuable marine life, many conservationists are calling for more action to protect them from development.
Coral reefs are also facing challenges.
Some have survived — in place — for more than 2 million years. The fish from coral reefs feed a billion people each year. However, the very same reefs are facing a triple threat: 1) destructive, unsustainable fishing methods, 2) coastal development and 3) global warming.
Hopeful Signs
Coral animals, for all their tropical charm, don't really like very warm water. Global warming can cause waters to get too warm for some corals. They "bleach" and die. But some species may be able to survive.
One recent study of corals in Hawaii found at least one coral species that bleaches — which means it loses its symbiotic algae — but survives by switching to eating plankton for a living.
Yet another study in the Caribbean of fossilized corals show them to be the same species that are alive today — despite evidence of many very warm water periods in between. Perhaps corals are more resilient than we think.
Mangroves, though severely damaged and reduced worldwide, are getting renewed local support, as well as international attention. Ecuador, for instance, even provides incentives for shrimp farmers to restore mangroves. In Bangladesh, villagers are employed by the government to plant mangroves in mudflats. These efforts have a long way to go to counteract a long history of destruction, but they are a good beginning.
