Welcome back to my blog! Today we’ll be diving into the beautiful ocean along the coasts of Maldives. What pops up in your mind when Maldives is mentioned? The clear blue sea? The white sandy beaches? For me, I think about the dazzling coral reefs located at the bottom of the sea. Coral reefs are not only aesthetically pleasing, but are also necessary as habitats for fishes as well as to protect the coastlines from erosion and storms.
Coral reefs have become a popular tourist attraction all around the world. Seventy million people travel across the world annually to enjoy the sight of sparkling coral reefs in their natural habitat. Chains of hotel resorts have lined up along the coasts of Maldives in an attempt to leach off the popularity of coral reefs. Because of the booming popularity, there are increasingly severe unintended negative impacts on coral reefs. Tourists may damage parts of the coral reefs by accident which stress the reefs out. At the same time, an increase in number of tourists may lead to an increase in pollution in the water. When the water is polluted, sunlight is obstructed from reaching the algae in coral reefs. Due to the lack of sunlight, the coral reefs are bleached and killed.
However, even without the interference from tourists, coral reefs were already on a fast track to extinction. This is due to climate change. Impacts of climate change such as sea level rise and temperature rise can cause stress to coral reefs. Sea level rise may cause an increase in debris that blocks coral reefs from sunlight. Coral reefs are highly sensitive to temperature and grow optimally between twenty-three to twenty-nine degrees celsius. Due to the stresses from climate change, numerous coral reefs die. As of 2016, half of the coral reefs found in the Great Barrier Reef have been found dead due to climate change.
On the other hand, numerous businesses are pouring in investments into the wellbeing of coral reefs. Fury Watersports is one of them. A section of the money collected from snorkeling is directed into recovering endangered species of coral reefs. These businesses understand that coral reefs are important and must be conserved if these companies want to continue thriving. Thus, they will go out of their way to protect and restore coral reefs.
Although businesses restoring coral reefs sound like a noble idea, to me it sounds sad. The fact that they are encouraging other coral reefs to be destroyed to plant new coral reefs sounds ironic to me. However, it seems worse to let coral reefs go completely extinct. It may be wiser to encourage snorkeling over scuba diving to tourists to reduce the damage on coral reefs done by tourists. Although the practice is sustainable in saving the coral reefs, I feel like it is a cruel practice. The next time you visit an area, ask yourself – is this really a cruelty free process or is it just a better alternative?
Hi Chloe!
I wanted to ask if you could explain more on how scuba diving harms coral reefs and why snorkeling may be a better option? Thank you!
-Si Ying
Hi Si Ying!
Basically, scuba divers are more likely to harm corals as their equipment may break off certain parts of the corals. On the other hand for snorkelling, tourists view coral reefs from the surface of the water and are further from the reefs. As a result, the risk of corals being harmed is a lot lower compared to scuba diving
Hi Chloe, this is a refreshing blog as to how coral reefs are headed towards extinction and businesses are striving to restore them. I do believe that snorkelling might be the better alternative to scuba diving when it comes to viewing coral reefs. In fact, there are glass bottom boats which allow tourists to view corals without even wetting themselves!
Anyways, pertaining to the causes leading to damage of coral reefs, which of the two-climate change or tourism do you think contributes more? Does the impact on coral reefs by these two factors vary across countries?
Hi Wen Han!
Yes! I have heard of such initiatives and I think it’s very smart of companies to think of such ideas. These activities also appeal to people as they are aesthetically pleasing and ‘instagram-worthy’.
I believe that climate change has a larger impact on coral reefs compared to tourism. Coral reefs are very sensitive to sea level rise and higher temperatures. With a small increase in global temperatures, more than half of the world’s corals are affected. When corals are stressed, they are more prone to diseases and dying. However, usually for tourism, the tourists may only harm a certain number of corals in the area as not all corals are exposed to them. The scale is a lot smaller and thus, I believe that climate change will inevitably affect coral reefs more. I believe that for countries with less stringent policies on conservation of coral reefs, the number of coral reefs harmed may be a lot higher. However, the harm caused by global warming is on such a large scale that I do not believe that any country can top the damage just via tourism.
Hi Chloe! This is such an interesting read! I was wondering if sustainable scuba diving is actually a way to go?
One way tourists can damage these corals is by swimming to close and accidentally touch or break the corals. This usually happens when divers are stressed or have buoyancy issues. So, is it alright if scuba divers are allowed to dive on site if they are already experienced? Other than that, when divers use fins, it could stir the ocean floor, causing sand to re-settle and suffocate the coral. So, will it be alright if scuba divers are allowed to dive but only if they wear a more sustainable diving gear?
Hi Sherry!
You brought up some very interesting points! I agree that the risk of damage is lower when divers are trained and experienced, however I believe that before the divers enter the waters, they will anchor the boat and this may already harm the corals. Yes! I think that should be the case but I don’t think there is a substitute for fins created yet as the structure of the fins are required for these divers to move around freely in the water especially with their heavy gear.