Coral reefs all around the world will die unless we do something about it. Many sources have said that about 30 percent of reefs have been destroyed in the past few decades. These sources also all predict that we will lose an additional 30-50 percent in the next 20 years if we continue on our current path. In the Caribbean region, which is where many reefs under US jurisdiction are located, coral coverage has been reduced by a whopping 80 percent. Multiple things are causing these coral reefs to die: invasive pathogens, overfishing, coastal pollution, tourism, ocean acidification, and rising ocean temperatures to name a few. 

The harms that will happen if we allow the coral reefs to die will have a huge impact. Here are just three of the impacts that will happen if we allow coral reefs to die.

1. The whole marine ecosystem will take a huge hit. Coral reefs can be referred to as the "rain forest of the ocean" due to the fact that it is a habitat for about a quarter of all marine species. With the reefs gone, it opens up for these many species to go extinct; therefore, causing a domino effect on the rest of the ocean. Which will lead to a loss of food.

2. The US economy will be hurt. Coral reefs are an important part in fisheries and tourism, which promotes jobs. In the US, about half of federally manged fisheries depends on coral reefs at one point or another and the estimated commercial value of US fisheries from coral reefs is over 100 million dollars. Billions of dollars are made through tourism in these coastal areas and as the reefs continue dying, we lose that huge amount of revenue.

3. Potential cures for diseases will remain undiscovered. Bioprospecting in marine ecosystems is fairly new and the diversity in coral reefs makes them a great place to look for potentially new pharmaceuticals. Creatures found in coral ecosystems are important sources of new medicines being developed to induce and ease labor; treat cancer, arthritis, asthma, ulcers, human bacterial infections, heart disease, viruses, and other diseases.

There are many more, but these may be considered the most direct impacts to those not just located on coastlines.

What can we do to prevent these harms from happening? Implement Biorock within the US jurisdiction and will others to pursue. The 3rd largest coral reef in the world is located in our jurisdiction, the Florida Keys. Being one of the first to implement on such a large scale could convince other countries to follow suit. 

Biorock has already been proven to work. One example is seen in the Biorock project called "Lotus" off the shore of the Vabbinfaru island in the Maldives. The electricity in the structure triggers a chemical reaction, which leads to calcium carbonate coming out of solution in the water and being deposited on the structure. Compared to those reefs that were grafted on "desert" sea floor, the reefs on Lotus grew 5 times faster.

 A group called the Global Coral Reef Alliance is dedicated to implementing Biorock wherever they gain permission and they have been successful. They have no funding at all though, which is why I feel the United States federal government should be working with this group or at least funding some group to implement Biorock in any reef we possibly can.

Please, help save the coral reefs, or there will be consequences for us all.