Coral reefs without a doubt is one of the most vital ecosystems.
To begin with, coral reefs save coastlines from wave actions, storms and floods. They help reducing the impact of large waves before they reach the shore, causing the waves to break offshore.
Coral reefs are also shelter for many marine organisms. Fish, lobsters, clams, seahorses, sponges, and sea turtles are only a few of the thousands of creatures.
By providing habits and shelter to marine organisms, they are also providing us humans with food. Corals supply three-dimensional structure and subtrates to house and feed species that humans eat, such as fish.
Surprisingly, plants of coral reefs might even be one of the sources of medicine being developed to treat diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, arthritis, viruses and other human bacterial infections.
In spite of coral reefs being this valuable for us and our environment, a lot of coral reefs from around the world have been destroyed or damaged, mostly due to human actions. If we start taking actions now, we can still preserve the remaining coral reefs.
