Human Impacts

Photograph courtesy of "Help Mary Save Coral"

Human impacts make up a large portion of why coral reefs are ultimately lessening in our oceans. Those “impacts considered are pollution, nutrification, overfishing and increased siltation/turbidity stress that are expressed via decreased coral recruitment and/or survival rates"(2). With the knowledge of such devastating impacts, a legal change should be justified to prevent unaware individuals from harming coral reefs and its habitats.

Additionally, majority of fisheries are only looking for profits, and do not understand the affects that they are causing on the oceans while performing their professions. What people do not take into consideration is the likelihood of mistakes. With mistakes being unavoidable, in this case, there will be a probability of consequences. Therefore, “lost or abandoned gill nets were found to affect coral reefs at 49% of sites throughout Oman and accounted for 70% of all severe human impacts. Lost gill nets were also found to have a negative affect on fisheries resources and other marine wildlife” (1). Overall, it is safe to say that within this scenario being greedy and wanting to fulfill ones financial needs was not helpful, because coral reefs and fish were ultimately dying, and the fisheries were not gaining enough quantity of fish that they needed in order to make their company thrive. This is only one of the many affects that humans have on their oceans.

Photograph courtesy of "Ghost Net Hunters Hit the Water Tuesday"

Other factors to consider, “resulted from coastal construction and recreational activities, including damage caused by scuba divers, anchors and litter. Eutrophication was observed to affect corals at one site, leading to localized mortality” (1). Focusing on scuba diving generates one outlook, out of many, where human interaction with the ocean will cause a chain reaction to contaminating and damaging ocean life. People partake in scuba diving to get a better perspective, and a one on one encounter with the ocean and its inhabitants. What scuba divers do not realize are the facts that they are actually harming the beautiful atmosphere that they are indulging in. One unaware situation that pollutes the ocean and its coral reefs is the ignorance of the affects that a scuba suit can have on the oceans environment due to the loss of different pieces of apparel that one will wear while they perform that hobby.

With the amount of people present in the world, it is difficult to create a learning experience on this topic for everyone to apprehend. Demonstrating this evidence develops an understanding of how many societies are not educated enough when it comes to marine biology, and pollution. Therefore, in order to realize the disturbing influences that people are inadvertently generating, a prevention strategy should be developed to educate uninformed societies.

“Depending on severity, coral cover declined by up to one half in 50 years” (2). In the next 50 years our coral reefs will be nonexistent. Having this statistic emphasizes how harmful human impacts are. Without the correct knowledge people will only further provide damaging affects instead of prevention affects.

Photograph courtesy of "The Reef-World Foundation"

“…It was assumed that near-field human impacts combined with far-field climate and environmental change effects” (2) were the driving forces for this epidemic. Dominance is the only factor that coral reefs, and particular fish species have that is pertinent at this rate. Humans have the higher power, and if humans use that higher power in a beneficial manner the ocean could slowly progress into a flourishing and bleached free coral population. However, this issue is only evolving negatively into a lifeless, and colorless space. “Thus, under repeated heavy mortality, whether caused by climate and environmental change or local human habitation, the coral community will change to a novel low-cover assemblage with changed contribution by growth forms” (2). The research and data statistically prove much harm has taken place and will continue to take place, unless behaviors change.

1. AI-Jufaili, S., M. AI-Jabri, A. AI-Baluchi, R. M. Baldwin, S. C. Wilson, F. West, and A. D. Matthews. "Human Impacts on Coral Reefs in the Sultanate of Oman."Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (1999): 65-74. Web of Science. Web.

Brennan, Pat. "“Ghost Net Hunters Hit the Water Tuesday" OC Science. N.p., 11 July 2011. Web.

Louv, Jason. "Help Mary Save Coral." Dangerous Minds. N.p., 5 Dec. 2009. Web.

2. Riegl, Bernhard M., Charles Sheppard, and Sam J. Purkis. "Human Impact on Atolls Leads to Coral Loss and Community Homogenisation: A Modeling Study."Model of Human Impact on Atoll Reefs 7.6 (2012): 1-11. Web of Science. 

"Saint H." The Reef-World Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web.