Corals 

What are corals?

Why do we need them?

Do you know that corals are alive and that some coral colonies are hundreds or even millions of years old? Corals are amazing, tiny creatures referred to as sessile organisms. This means that they do not move around but take root on the ocean’s floor. Billions of these animals together, can form huge reefs, spanning hundreds of kilometers, in a fantastic explosion of diverse life!

In the same way that plants provide oxygen for our earth, corals do the same. Deep oceans do not have a lot of plants producing oxygen, so coral reefs produce much needed oxygen for the oceans to keep many species that live there, alive. They are often called “ Rainforests of the ocean.” Coral reefs ecosystems host up to 25% of the total marine biodiversity that exist in the ocean.

The island of Tobago has multiple coral reef ecosystems. The Buccoo Reef, The Culloden Reefand Speyside Reefs are the three largest. All citizens, tourists, marine divers and explorers, allhave a tremendous responsibility to protect the coral reefs and colonies that exist on this beautiful island of Tobago. 

Corals are extremely fragile creatures and we must be careful not to touch, kick, scrape, break or stand on them, when we see them in the water as these actions can damage or even kill them. We must also prevent depositing mud or silt into the water. Corals comprise an ancient and unique partnership called symbiosis that benefit both animal and plant life in the ocean. 

Coral extracts have been used to develop treatment of asthma, arthritis, cancer and heart disease. The ridges in coral reefs can reduce wave energy by up to 95%, providing crucial protection from threats such as tsunamis. The Buccoo Reef, protects a low lying and developed section of Tobago’s shoreline from erosion and storm damage.

If coral reefs disappeared, essential food, shelter and spawning grounds for fish and other marine organisms would cease to exist and biodiversity would greatly suffer as a consequence; marine food webs will be altered and many economically important species would disappear. 

Stressors such as pollution, ocean acidification and rising water temperatures can affect the lifespan of corals drastically, just as much as the human activities of overfishing and coastal development which can degrade or destroy the habitats that corals need, to survive.

Let us all do that which is within our human power, to enjoy the beauty and priceless value of the coral reefs and colonies that exist and thrive in Tobago, in a manner that does not bring harm to them. We must understand and respect their role through all that they contribute, to the healthy life of the ocean and the way in which their existence, directly impacts our lives.

Contributed by Bernadine Beharry
Blog Writer - Environment Tobago