I am doing a project on coral does anyone have any ideas?

Question

its about how coral is endangered, how they can be protected and what organizations are trying to save them and its supposed to be a display.

Answer 1

Try Wikipedia. I think the site address is wikipedia.org.

Answer 2

Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL)
Independent, nonprofit membership organization that works to address the worldwide problem of coral reef destruction.
Category: Coral Reef Conservation Organizations
www.coralreefalliance.org - 28k - Cached - More from this site
Wikipedia: Coral
Corals (class Anthozoa), which include sea anemones (order Actiniaria), are ... A coral "head" is formed of thousands of individual polyps, each polyp only a ...
Quick Links: Phylogeny - Coral types - Geological history
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral

Answer 3

well im sorry man i have no clue 4u!
also sorry im no help:)

Answer 4

no

Answer 5

DISCOVER > Endangered Species > Corals


Corals


Coral reef, Fiji
photo: WWF-Canon / Cat HOLLOWAY
Coral reefs are the most biologically diverse ecosystems of the ocean and are rivaled only by the tropical rainforests on land. As snorkelers and divers know, thousands of beautiful fish, mollusks and urchins are among the amazing marine life that populates coral reefs. In fact, the corals themselves are also marine animals. Almost a thousand coral species currently exist in fantastic shapes ranging from mushrooms to moose antlers, cabbages, tabletops, wire strands, fluted pillars, and wrinkled brains.
With the majority of humankind living in coastal regions, many people depend on living coral reefs for food and protection from storm surges and erosion, as well as the additional benefits of medical research, tourism and aesthetic beauty. Coral reefs contribute about 25 percent of the total fish catch in developing countries, providing food for one billion people in Asia alone. The calmer area behind a reef can shelter sea grass beds and mangrove forests that service as important nurseries for the young of even more fish and shellfish.

Unfortunately, human activities, including those associated with global warming are threatening these rainforests of the ocean. Increasing sea temperatures stress corals and cause damage, including bleaching. WWF is working to develop and test conservation strategies to better protect coral reefs from bleaching while also working to stop global warming, the root cause of the almost epidemic coral bleaching currently underway.

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VANISHING IN THE WILD: CORAL REEFS

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has named coral reefs as one of the life-support systems essential for our own survival. Found around coastlines in the tropics, coral reefs provide homes for about a third of all fish species on Earth and numerous other marine organisms.

Reefs are physically as well as biologically important; they play a fundamental role in protecting coastlines from erosion and contribute to the formation of white sandy beaches. These complex, fragile ecosystems are deteriorating at an alarming rate worldwide.

Coral reefs actually are communities of hundreds of thousands of tiny animals called coral polyps, which grow in sunlit shallows of warm, clear marine waters. The reefs are built up as new corals attach atop the skeletons of dead animals.

Causes of Endangerment

Pollution, Overexploitation and Recreation

The coral species that are the reef's foundation have very specific needs for light, temperature, salinity, and oxygen. They are easily damaged or killed because of these complex requirements for survival. Human-caused deterioration lessens the reef's ability to withstand natural events such as hurricanes, cyclones, and other storms. Reefs are sensitive to unusually warm waters caused by El Nino, a phenomenon thought to be connected to global warming. Large areas of reef died in Costa Rica, Panama, and the Galapagos during the El Nino event of 1984.

Population and development pressures have contributed significantly to loss of coral reefs and other coastal habitats, such as salt marshes, mangrove forests, and seagrass beds, and the fisheries that depend on these. Reefs are smothered by erosion from deforestation and dredging of rivers and bays.

They also are blown up by fishers using dynamite, poisoned by collectors working for the aquarium trade, and inadvertently damaged by recreationists (boaters and scuba divers). An estimated 80 percent of Philippine reefs, for example, have been damaged by sedimentation, explosives, and pollution.

Recently, scientists have become alarmed by increased occurrences of "coral bleaching." Coral reefs in many places in the world are turning white and sometimes dying. Coral gets its beautiful colors from algae that lives symbiotically with it. Through photosynthesis, the algae produce oxygen and sugars for the coral polyps to eat. The coral, in turn, produces carbon dioxide and nitrogen which enhances algae growth. If coral polyps are stressed by environmental changes, they lose their algae coating and turn white.

Cyanide and other toxins are used to stun reef fish so they can be captured alive to be sent to fish markets in Hong Kong and as aquarium specimens for buyers in the United States. The accumulation of poisons is killing the reefs (see also Spotlight on Threatened Marine Life). In the past, the corals themselves were mostly sold as dried specimens for jewelry and decorations. Improvements in the ability to keep corals alive, however, has spurred a worldwide demand for live corals for aquariums.

Reef recreation, such as glass-bottom boat tours, snorkeling, and scuba diving, is increasingly popular. Damage from anchors and accidental boat groundings is a severe problem in some popular spots. Divers stand on reefs or inadvertently hit them with fins or dangling equipment, breaking off pieces of the fragile coral.

Conservation Actions
Trade Regulation

All stony corals are listed in CITES Appendix II. Trade is allowed only with export permits. International agreements to control the rampant collection of reef fishes and other marine animals for the aquarium trade are also in place. However, poaching and smuggling are still widespread.

Habitat Protection and Education of Recreationists

Some countries have made great strides in saving their endangered reefs. Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is the largest of its kind, covering an area bigger than the United Kingdom and including 2,900 separate reef formations and 300 reef islands, some 1,400 miles (2,250 km) long. Many other countries, including the United States, have created marine parks to protect coral reefs. Park management practices often include establishing buoys for anchoring and educating boaters and divers about how to prevent reef damage.
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DISCOVER > Endangered Species > Corals

Corals > Threats

Coral Bleaching

Climate change causes stressful conditions for coral, leaving it in an energy deficit and without color.
photo: WWF-Canon / Cat Holloway
Climate change is leading to a rise in sea temperatures, which causes the bleaching of coral colonies -- the whitening of coral reefs due to the loss of symbiotic zooxanthellae (microscopic yellow-green alga) from the tissues of coral polyps. This loss exposes the white, calcium carbonate skeletons of the coral and is what we call coral bleaching.

Overfishing and Destructive Fishing Practices

Often, so many fish are taken from one reef that its population cannot be sustained. This affects the ecological balance of life among coral reef communities, warping the food chain with ripple effects far beyond the directly over-fished population. Destructive Fishing

Many current fishing practices are destructive and unsustainable. Cyanide fishing, for example, supplies reef fish for the tropical aquarium market and as food for restaurants in Asia, where fish are prized for their freshness. Smaller fish and other marine animals, such as coral polyps, are poisoned by the chemical cloud produced during this process.

Blast fishing, bottom trawling and muro-ami (banging on the reef with sticks) are also common practices which destroy coral formations that are key nurseries and habitats for thousands of species.

Coral Mining

Live coral pieces are removed from reefs for use as bricks or road-fill, while sand and limestone is made into cement for new buildings. Corals are also removed from their habitats to be sold as souvenirs to tourists and exporters who don't know or don't care about the longer term damage done.

Other Human Pressures

Pollution from oil, gas, industrial and urban waste, sewage, and agrochemicals from farming is poisoning reefs. These toxins are dumped directly into the ocean or carried by river systems from sources upstream.

Some pollutants, such as sewage and runoff from farming, increase the level of nitrogen in sea water, causing an overgrowth of algae, which 'smothers' reefs by cutting off their sunlight.

Construction (both along coasts and inland), mining, logging and farming along coastal rivers can all lead to erosion. Valuable top soil and other sediments are washed by rain into rivers and end up in the ocean where they 'smother' corals by depriving them of the light needed to survive. Additionally, developments (piers and other structures) are occurring directly on top of coral reefs.

Careless boating, diving, snorkeling and fishing can also damage coral reefs. Substantial damage has been caused by people touching the reefs, stirring up sediment, collecting coral, or dropping anchors on the