The Coral Reef Alliance
by Derek in Charity / 07.29.08
What says “summertime” better than coral reefs? Coral reefs are the symbol of clean refreshing water, open space, beautiful creatures, and every possible color one could imagine. But what many don’t realize is that coral reefs are an invaluable resource for scientific research. More than 100 human cultures depend on coral reefs for food, income, and protection. Also, they play an important role as natural breakwaters to minimize wave damage from cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons, and tsunamis. But like many of the earth’s natural beauties, the reefs are in danger of destruction due to humans, and one group, the Coral Reef Alliance, has set out on a mission to preserve them.
The Coral Reef Alliance (also called CORAL) is a member-supported NPO dedicated to protecting coral reefs worldwide by integrating ecosystem management, sustainable tourism, and community partnerships. They attempt to do so by engaging stakeholders from three groups, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and their managers, marine recreation tourism, and local communities. CORAL’s goal is to increase the capacity for these groups to work collaboratively toward conservation.
They choose a site for their projects based on political stability and safety, type of threats, funding availability, local support for marine protected areas, and the presence of potential conservation partner organizations. They are currently focused in the Asia/Pacific and Caribbean/Latin America regions. Their 7 active project sites are in Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Hawaii, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia.
You can help conserve these beautiful underwater structures in four fundamental ways:
- Joining CORAL and making a donation. An ongoing commitment can make you a Friend of the Reef, which gives you access to a one year subscription of CORAL Current and other perks. You can join and donate online at www.coral.org.
- Be a Smart Consumer by following suggestions like these: Don’t buy coral jewelry, choose seafood wisely (by following CORAL’s online guide), Support coral friendly business, and donate to reef conservation societies.
- Show support by adding a badge to you website, blog, or e-mail signature (as we have done in our blog entry). Or send a coral reef E-Card to three of your friends and ask them to pass it on.
- Live sustainably, that is try not to leave a large environmental footprint behind as you live your life. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs, plant native trees, buy efficient cars, and reduce traveling by airplane.
Thank you so much for your post about coral reefs and the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL). There’s been a lot of doom and gloom coverage about corals in the mainstream media this summer. And while the prognosis for reefs is certainly dire, it’s not fatal if we start working together now to save the reefs.
I invite any of your readers to visit CORAL’s website to learn more about what we as individuals can do to save coral reefs, even if we don’t live near the coast. Thanks again!
Julie Bennett
Communications Manager
The Coral Reef Alliance
http://www.coral.org