Coral Reef Deterioration Essay

In the past few decades, a major concern has arisen concerning the drastic deterioration of coral reefs. Many more people are becoming familiar with earth’s systems, as well as learning of the impact they have on coral reefs. The impacts human beings have are not always so positive, and if inappropriate exploitation continues, certain ecosystems, such as the coral reefs, may be permanently lost. In response to concerns, many environmental activist groups have stood up in a fight to preserve the vital ecosystem. For example, a couple of these influential groups include the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Organizations like these acknowledge that coral reefs play as major contributors to everyday life. In this case, everyday life refers to not only human beings but all life forms.

To follow up on the vital coral reef deterioration crisis, Congress passed the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (CRCA). The bill was proposed and activist groups had been attempting to push it through since the early 1990s. The Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 was signed and authorized when Bill Clinton was

However, similar circumstances have arisen in the Great Lakes. As regulations are changed, many bodies of water become polluted and coasts and banks erode. These fresh waters certainly do not contain coral reefs, but do play a large role in the Mideast’s natural environment. To coastal communities, coral reefs are as vital to everyday life as the Great Lakes are to Wisconsinites. “Hundreds of millions of people depend on reefs for protection from storms and tsunamis” (Schrope), just as the Great Lake states depend on the water for protection from tornadoes and other natural disasters. Overall, coral reef areas effectively protect the nearby coasts by reducing storm damage and erosion commonly caused by intense wave action