Research • Education • Conservation ........

In celebration of the International Year of the Reef 2008, Reef Check is hosting the photo contest “What Do Reefs Mean to You?” Sponsored by Oceanic, the goal is to raise awareness about the value and plight of coral and rocky reefs worldwide, and to encourage people to take action to help conserve reefs and associated ecosystems. Submit your photos to this contest and a GEO dive computer could be yours. Check out all the great prizes and how you can make a difference to help save our reefs.

Why Should the World Care about Coral Reefs?

•  350 million people rely on Coral Reefs for their food and survival

•  Cornucopia of biodiversity - the “Rainforests of the Sea”

•  Global health indicator, the ‘canary in the coal mine' for global warming

•  Protect coastlines and cities from storm waves

•  Tourism, the largest global industry relies heavily on coral reefs to create white coral sand beaches and islands; 20 million scuba divers

•  AZT, a treatment for HIV infections is based on chemicals extracted from a Caribbean reef sponge and more than half of all new cancer drug research focuses on marine organisms.

•  Healthy reefs make great waves for surfing

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The Top Threats to Coral Reefs

•  Overfishing

•  Global Warming

•  Eutrophication (too many nutrients in water from fertilizer, sewage)

•  Sedimentation/turbidity (from poor land use) – suffocates coral, blocks light, allows diseases to attack

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Solutions

•  Create well-planned and managed marine reserves and parks (MPAs)

•  Protected areas where no fishing, dredging, collection, etc., are allowed

•  Allows marine populations to recover, then reproduce and spread to surrounding open access areas

•  Creates job opportunities in tourism industry e.g. dive tours

•  Adopt Reef Check -- Science, Partners and Solutions

•  Reef Check provides the training and tools for local residents to monitor reef health and manage their own reefs in a manner that is ecologically sound and economically sustainable.