Coral Reef Conservation in Different Oceans

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“The more we heat up the planet, the more it costs all of us, not just in money, but in colossal famines, displacements, deaths, and species extinctions, as well as in the loss of some of the things that make this planet a blue-green jewel, including its specialized habitats from the melting Arctic to bleaching coral reefs” (Solnit). There are many coral reefs in different oceans around the world and they are protected in different ways. Coral Reef destruction is a huge problem and while countries are conserving reefs differently, the best way to conserve them is to have marine protected areas because it allows the habitat to reconstruct itself naturally. Coral reef destruction happens for many reasons. The primary reasons include climate change, unsustainable fishing, and pollution (“Threats”). As the temperature increases the amount of coral bleaching and the spread of diseases will increase as well. The CO2 absorbed into the ocean reduces the amount of coral building. Using bottom-contact gear to fish could directly damage the coral reefs and bottom trawling creates the worst damages where it is allowed. Disease affecting the corals has become a problem recently as well as aquatic invasive species. Coral reef destruction is seen in all the oceans where coral reefs are present, some are restoring better than others. Marine Protected areas help our oceans to rejuvenate themselves naturally and strongly improve the oceans marine life health. Areas where the marine life is protected, allows it to grow and multiply in population and diversity. Coral reefs in the flower banks garden are in good condition today due to conservation efforts but without them they would be losing health rapidly, and we would lose many important spawnin... ... middle of paper ... ...orthwest Hawaiian Islands are remote and uninhabited allowing for monitoring short term and long term evidence of the declining health of coral reefs. The habitat restoration and conservation methods used here can be monitored to determine how they affect the ecosystems health. Main Hawaiian Islands Palau Guam Federated States of Micronesia Marshall Islands American Samoa Works Cited "Marine Protected Areas." Ocean Conservancy. Ocean Conservancy, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. . "NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program." NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program. National Ocean Service, 29 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. Solnit, Rebecca. "Invasion of the Democracy Crushers." Tomdispatch.com. Tomgram, 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. "Threats." NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program:. US Department of Commerce, 17 May 2011. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.

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