No dejes de verlo y compartirlo, cuantos más sepamos acerca de esto, más podremos protegerlos. GRACIAS!!!
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Hello, I'm Celine Cousteau.
I'd like to talk about the vital role coral reefs play
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in the health of our planet.
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Not only the health of our oceans, they
also play a vital role in our health,
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and our economy.
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Corals are, in a sense, animal, mineral,
and vegetable. Corals may look like rocks,
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But they're actually little animals,
called polyps, which live in colonies.
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They filter feed at night and form their
rock-like structures by secreting limestone.
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Inside the tissue of each polyp lives
a kind of algae, which uses sunlight
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to synthesize food for the polyp.
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The polyp and the algae are dependent on
one another for food and shelter.
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Coral reefs are the cradle of life in the ocean.
It's where an enormous food web begins.
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It's where much of our food web begins.
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Coral reef fish provide a critical source
of protein for millions of people around the world.
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You may not realize that coral reefs
provide so much more to us than just seafood.
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Animals that live on the coral reef create
unique chemicals that aren't found on land.
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These chemicals are used to make
important medicines and food supplements.
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Reefs also provide an important barrier to protect
coastal communities from storms and erosion.
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Healthy coral reefs also attract divers and tourists.
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And help to create the businesses that support them.
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But the way we're harvesting seafood
is destroying the reefs,
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and all the potential the reefs have to
provide for us in the future.
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We're taking fish from the ocean
at a rate that is completely unsustainable,
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sometimes using destructive methods, like
poison and blast fishing.
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This disrupts an ecosystem that's been
in balance for a very long time.
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Certain species flourish,
at the expense of other species.
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With the removal of plant eating fish,
algae grow rampant and smother the coral.
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And we're harming reefs in other ways too.
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Run-off from farms, industry, and coastal
construction can bury coral reefs
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with sediment and pollution;
create algae blooms; and kill corals.
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Our warming seas are causing coral
bleaching, a process where polyps lose
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their colorful algae and turn pale.
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This further weakens the reefs.
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And because the ocean is absorbing so
much of that extra carbon dioxide,
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that we are putting into the atmosphere,
it is becoming more acidic,
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which is making it harder for corals to grow.
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At present, 60% of all reefs on
the planet are already threatened by local activities,
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mainly over-fishing and pollution.
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Unless we can slow climate change and
reduce over-fishing and pollution,
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By 2030, 90% of coral reefs will be threatened.
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By 2050, virtually all reefs will be threatened.
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Without coral reefs, we'll not only
lose an important food source,
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but many communities will also lose their
tourism and fishing economies,
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and the coast will be much more
vulnerable to storms and erosion.
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We'll also lose an enormous amount of biological diversity,
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which will close the door on all kinds
of new potential medicines and other benefits.
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Coral reefs are not condemned to extinction.
Reefs are resilient and can recover.
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And there are ways YOU can help!
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For example, try to become more aware
of the seafood you're eating:
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what it is,
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where it came from, and how it was caught.
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When you vacation,
choose tourism and hotel operators
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who treat the ocean environment responsibly.
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Also, try to lower your CO2 footprint.
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Marine protected areas, a kind of aquatic nature preserve,
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are becoming one of the most important elements of
reef conservation. And they need your support.
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Also, find a favorite nonprofit group
that's working to help conserve coral reefs,
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and support it. And finally...
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Vote for a conservation candidate.
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And spread the word.
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With your help,
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we can increase the chances that coral reefs
will survive into the future,
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and benefit people,
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for many years to come.
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Learn more at wri.org/reefs
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