Coral Reef Destruction
In 1998, after the devastating El Nino (an abnormal warming of ocean surface waters in the eastern Pacific), coral reefs living in affected regions began to die at an alarming rate due to the increased water temperatures.
In 2004, the Marine Conservation Biology Institute sent a statement out signed by over 1,000 scientists from 69 countries asking lawmakers to pass measures to protect the world's deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems from overfishing by commercial bottom trawlers.
Last year, leading experts estimated that twenty-five percent of the world's coral reefs have already been destroyed. Perhaps most alarming is the fact that although coral bleaching (the most obvious sign of dying and sick coral) has been happening since at least the turn of the last century, most of the dramatic damage has occurred over the last twenty years.
The causes include global warming, coral mining, pollution, irresponsible fishing (such as fishing with dynamite and overfishing), careless coastal development and unregulated or haphazard diving by unconcerned or uneducated tourists.
Reefs have also suffered indirectly in recent years from sediment caused by inland deforestation and the removal of coastal mangroves, from industrial pollution, and from nutrient pollution contributed by sewage, fertilizers, and urban runoff.
Creating Concrete Reefs
These valuable and fragile eco-systems are in great peril, and scientists across the globe are searching for ways to conserve them. But one particularly innovative project between Israeli and Jordanian scientists aims to go beyond mere conservation and implement growth that will ensure future survival. Even more surprising perhaps, is the element they have chosen to help save the coral: concrete.
For most people, the idea of replacing coral reefs with concrete blocks might sound implausible. But for a group of marine scientists in the Middle East, it's just what the doctor ordered.
Concrete is long-lasting and durable, and its porous surface provides the ideal space for implanting corals. Thus, it has become the new material of choice in an innovative technique to help save coral reefs from further destruction by over-zealous divers in the Red Sea.
Reputed to be one of the most spectacular places to dive on Earth, thousands of vacationers visit the Red Sea every year, and most of them come to dive and snorkel in the offshore coral reefs. But the very natural beauty and marine life they come to enjoy is suffering from intense tourism, and more and more of the reefs are disappearing every year.
Dr. Nadav Shashar, a marine biologist at Ben Gurion University, recently worked side by side with Dr. Faud Al-Horni in Jordan on a joint project funded by the US State Department's USAID-MERC program.
According to Shashar, the biggest challenge was to find a solution that would not limit tourism and would stretch beyond conservation and actually promote coral growth and sustainability. If you only conserve what you already have, he points out, you end up losing coral over time.
By creating specially-designed concrete blocks that can be implanted with real coral, the team's goal was to attract fish to the 'fake' reefs and, in turn, divers. "In the marine environment, people have tried to create artificial reefs by throwing in junk like old ships and tires, but it's like putting old train tracks in a nice, new location. People don't move in by the herds," says Shashar.
Beyond luring fish and divers, the unique design had to consider a diverse array of factors - from the size and shape to the water currents and sand patterns in the area.
Less Fish, More Divers
Each concrete block in the Tamar Reef, as it is called, weighs four tons. Since their introduction near the natural reef last spring, the same number of species of fish can be found in the blocks as in the natural coral. "The numbers of fish in the concrete are lower, but the divers are attracted to them, and this is an important accomplishment in preserving the natural reef," Shashar says.
Aside from the fact that an artificial concrete reef has only been tried in several other experiments around the world, there are three main innovations in this particular project.
The first gives scientists the capability of building any size artificial reef necessary rather than having to maintain traditionally smaller structures underwater.
Second, the concrete reef is maintained by a coral 'nursery', which permits parts of lost or broken coral to be easily replaced by others that are already being grown. The young coral in the nursery grows in optimal conditions in order to encourage more rapid growth, and scientists are able to place it wherever it is needed in the reef.
Third, until now, most of the experimental artificial reef projects have focused only on conservation and not on conservation and sustainability. "If you only conserve what you have and don't increase your area, it's a losing concept because if any parts of the area are damaged, you lose it. Our challenge was to find a way to increase the area and the species in order to make it truly sustainable," Shashar says.
Personal Responsibility
Here are a few simple things you can do to help protect and preserve coral reefs - even if you live thousands of miles away from the ocean:
1. Take care of wastewater properly by making sure that sewage from your home is treated correctly.
2. Support organizations that protect coral reefs. Many groups have coral reef programs, and your support will make a big difference.
3. Don't use chemically enhanced pesticides and fertilizers. Even if you live thousands of miles from a coral reef ecosystem, these chemicals end up in streams, estuaries, wetlands, lakes and, in the end, the ocean.
4. If you dive, do not touch or walk on the corals! Take pictures of the reef and make sure you keep your hands, fins, and gear well away from the fragile reef. It's also important to stay off the bottom because the disturbed sediment can damage the corals too. Be sure to respect the existing laws and customs of local reefs.
5. Recycle. Not only does recycling help keep trash out of the oceans and landfills, it can help improve the adverse impacts of this extra trash on the water quality of our oceans and rivers.
6. Conserve water. By using less water, you can make sure that less runoff and wastewater makes its way back into the oceans.
7. Pick up trash when you visit the beach from the sand and water. By doing your small part, you can help the corals all over the world and set a good example for others to follow.
8. If you own a boat, make sure you don't anchor on or near the coral reef. This creates a major problem by breaking and damaging the fragile ecosystem and takes many decades to repair.
For more information about the concrete corals project in the Red Sea, visit www.iui-eilat.ac.il/artificialReef/artificialReef.htm