We all need oxygen to live. Without oxygen we would have no electricity, no heating, no cars, no planes. 50-80% of the oxygen in the world comes from the oceans. One single species of bacterium produces as much oxygen as all the rainforests of the planet. Reefs may be a small part of the oceans but they are very important.
Plankton, the basic food of everything in the sea is much less dense today. Their stomachs are being filled with microplastic and they die of starvation. That is only part of the story! You can read more in the reef story on "Ocean Plastic ".
Global warming, ocean acidification and the impact of pollution runoff from the land is massive issue for coral reefs. More on what reefs mean to us can be read int article on reefs and in Reefs - why should we care?.
The effects of sun lotion on reefs is rarely thought of, but you can read about the impact on coastal reefs in the reef article on sun lotion.
Born in Scotland, I've carried out research supporting major conservation programmes since the early 1970s. The projects have been in Scotland, the Caribbean, South East Asia, Arabia and Australia, and in collaboration with conservation agencies in Scotland and internationally.
I've described new species and a new genus and a new species named after me. Diving since 1977 I've seen pristine reefs disappear. The plight of coral reefs has become devastating. Their survival is on a knife edge. The photos show what we still have. Support the protection of coral reefs so that they do not become extinct.
More info:
9th June to 30th September 2023 in "Grüne Soße und mehr", Buchrainplatz, Frankfurt am Main
More than half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income and shelter.120 million people worldwide depend on mangrove forests!
If you, like so many of us, feel that humanity cannot afford to lose the diversity of life that provides us with oxygen, food, new medicines and an abundance of life, then there is something you can do. Support the organisations that are working to protect our fragile planet.