MIAMI. – The World Day of Reefs It’s June 1st. Reefs are considered marine communities where a diversity of marine animals such as fish, nudibranchs, snails, urchins, starfish, lobsters and corals coexist, as well as algae and seagrasses.
The reefs are found in a strip that forms between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and generally on the eastern side of the continents. They serve as spaces for the reproduction of species, they change the direction and speed of marine currents, and they maintain a close relationship with other ecosystems.
In addition, reefs function as a natural barrier for the coasts against hurricanes. “Reef structures protect coastal communities from storms, provide sand to beaches and generate huge income for local leisure businesses,” says the United Nations.
The HIM warns that 70% of the earth’s coral reefs are threatened: “20% of them are already destroyed with no hope of recovery, 24% are at imminent risk of collapse and a further 26% are at risk from long-term threats.”
According to the organization, the collapse of coral reefs generates long-range consequences for the entire ocean, for people and for the planet.
Ecosystem damage
The United Nations points out that the degradation of ecosystem The coastal zone is worrying because 40% of the world’s population (3.1 billion people) lives less than 100 kilometers from the ocean, “which means that massive losses of coral reef ecosystems are also an economic and social problem.”
To combat the threat against reefs, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development set out a plan for the future protection of the oceans. “The sustainable development goals highlight the economic, social and cultural implications of the serious decline in fish stocks, the deterioration of coral reef ecosystems and coastal erosion due to sea level rise, as well as poor current management,” says the UN.
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Source: UN/ Oceana Blog / International Day Portal
