Humans Harmful Impact on Coral Reef

Posted Jan. 24 2024

Nancy Kushniryuk

Cub Reporter

Coral reefs are dying worldwide due to humans' contribution to climate change and harmful fishing ways. Beaches need to be temporarily closed off from tourists and certain fishing techniques should be banned completely.

Every single coral reef is negatively affected in some way, either by humans directly or climate change, which humans also contribute to, according to wildlife reporter Corryn Wetzel. One way tourists may harm coral reefs is simply by unknowingly walking on it while swimming in the ocean. It is very easy to stumble across coral while on a tropical island or beach, where tourists don’t seem to notice the life they could potentially harm. I remember when me and my family traveled to Hawaii many years ago, there were multiple signs on beaches warning tourists to stay away from certain areas in the water to protect coral reefs. Many didn’t follow this rule and continued swimming and walking in these closed off areas.

How much of the coral reef is already gone? A recent study in the journal “One Earth” revealed that half of the earth's coral reefs had been dead since the 1950s. “Corals have a short window to regain their symbiotic algae, but if corals are stressed for too long, their death is irreversible.” This algae lives inside the coral, which is used as a food source for them. Due to climate change, the ocean water becomes warmer causing stress to corals and infectious disease, which all then leads to them losing color and dying. This is also known as coral bleaching.

Coral reefs are home to many different marine species. Small fish use them as a hideout and others use them to find a meal. Without coral reefs, the fishing industry would also suffer, along with billions of marine life species.

The damage humans have caused to the planet is irreversible unless people all come to an agreement to try and stop the things causing harm to the ocean, including fishers who use large nets to sweep the ocean floor, which is known as trawling. 

Beaches with the most marine life and coral near the shore in Hawaii and other tropical places should be closed off to the public, or at least tourists, temporarily. Of course, it would be very difficult to get people on board, but it is possible to take the first step to a better future simply by recycling, reusing plastic containers, and not littering on the streets. These simple practices help keep beaches and the ocean cleaner while also reducing the production of new plastic which contributes to greenhouse gasses.