The charity we chose to support with 5% of sales of our Spring 2020 edition subscription box is Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL). To make it relevant to our box’s theme, we knew we wanted to support an ocean-related cause. After coming across so much incredible information about coral reefs, and learning so much from CORALS’s website, our decision was firmly and proudly made.
We want to share with you just some of the reasons why coral reefs are so amazing, and why they need to be protected. They are an environmental and humanitarian savior not only under water, but also for life on land.
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Food
About half a billion people around the world depend on fish that live on coral reefs as a substantial source of food. Coral reefs support more than 4,000 species of fish and produce an estimated 15 tonnes of fish per square
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Livelihoods
Coral reefs attract tourism. During normal times, millions of snorkellers and scuba divers flock to see their beauty every year, and even more vacationers enjoy the beaches they protect. This provides an array of tourism-based livelihoods for those who work on dive-boats, hotels and restaurants.
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Protection
If not for coral reefs acting as natural buffers against storms and waves, coasts would be eroded, properties would be damaged, and lives would be threatened. The complex shapes and the underwater “walls” built by reefs help reduce the intensity of incoming waves, which is becoming increasingly important as climate change threatens to increase the intensity and frequency of storms.
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Water Filtration
Water pollution is a bigger problem now than ever before, and coral reefs help reduce the pollution in our near-shore waters. Why? Because corals and sponges actually consume particulate matter (pollutants that do not dissolve in water), preventing them from settling on the bottom of the ocean and dirtying the ocean with harmful materials.
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Beaches
Sand on beaches are often thought of as the product of broken-down shells, but coral reefs also have a hand in building our beaches. In fact, much of the sand on many beaches is the product of broken-down coral skeletons. In addition, some reef creatures produce sand as a result of their coral consumption.
In addition to the above, coral reefs are just wondrous, dazzling and unique. Anyone who has ever seen them would understand that coral reefs provide a value to our planet that can’t be expressed in words.
So now that we know why coral reefs play such a significant role, let’s see why we chose Coral Reef Alliance as the beneficiary of our donations. CORAL has been delivering high-quality conservation programs that have made a difference in the world for 25 years. Their pioneering work, knowledge and reputation as a highly-trusted partner help to rally the conservation community to save coral reefs at regional levels and on a global scale.
If you check out their website, you’ll see that it has an abundance of information on coral reefs, as well as detailed descriptions of their key initiatives. We are just mind-blown by their mission and the tasks they have taken on, and feel obliged to help.
We hope we’ve opened your eyes to the wonderment of coral reefs and inspired you to contribute in any way you can to help save them. This can be as simple as practicing the 3 R’s. Learn more ways at https://coral.org/.
Banner photo by Michael Webster