10% of the world’s coral reefs have been destroyed already, 70% are destroyed in the Philippines, and only 5% remain healthy (Texas A&M University)
Coral Mining in Indonesia
According to the World Wildlife Fund, roughly one-quarter of coral reefs worldwide are already considered damaged beyond repair, with another two-thirds under serious threat. The affects human activities have on coral reef ecosystems has continued to grow rapidly. Activities like coral mining, construction along coasts, walking on the reefs, and destructive fishing methods are some of the leading causes of coral degradation.
The Live Rock Trade has played a big role in coral mining. Live rock is dead coral or rock covered with coralline algae — pink or purple colored algae found growing on rocky substrata in all of the world’s oceans. It’s used in aquariums to form a reef base to provide homes to tropical fish, corals, and invertebrates. Also, coralline algae can help keep the water clean.
Another major component in the decline of the coral reefs is the huge amounts of ecotourism that the beautiful coral structures bring. Snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming, and fishing in the reefs is throwing off the balance of the ecosystem. The problem is smaller tropical places rely on tourism as their main way of earning money. One estimate puts the total global value of coral-reef focused tourism at $9.6 billion of the total global net benefit of coral reefs. According to the Coral Reef Alliance, the annual value of the ecosystem services provided by coral reefs to millions of people is estimated to be over $375 billion.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, looking solely at the economic value of fisheries, tourism, and shoreline protection, the costs of damaging 1km of coral reef ranges between US$137,000-1,200,000 over a 25-year period of time.