Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world — several thousand miles long — and home to a large variety of fish and other animals. Right now, we’re listening to underwater sounds recorded at the reef. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by the American Museum of Natural History.
As a protected reserve, the Great Barrier Reef is doing well, but many other reefs around the world haven’t been as lucky. Dr. Dennis Thoney, General Curator at New York’s Aquarium for Wildlife Conservation, tells us why.
“They may be in trouble due to fishing, for instance. They are using dynamite to blow reefs apart trying to catch large fishes for the live food fish trade in China and Hong Kong.”
Another reason reefs are on the decline is deforestation. Tree roots hold soil in place; without trees, loose soil, or silt, erodes into the water.
“Well this silt smothers corals and kills them. Along with the silt come nutrients. And the nutrients are what algae use to reproduce and to grow. And when these things grow, they can smother the corals by blocking the light so that corals cannot grow and this can kill them.”
If the corals aren’t doing well, that has consequences for the other animals in and around the reef.
“Coral reefs are extremely important habitats for many animals besides just the corals that live there themselves. They provide a very complex habitat of caves and tunnels and places for fishes and invertebrates to live. And there’s a very high diversity of animals on coral reefs.”
In future programs, we’ll hear how Dr. Thoney and other scientists are working to preserve coral reefs. Pulse of the Planet is presented by the American Museum of Natural History. I’m Jim Metzner.