A quarter of the world’s coral has disappeared in the last 30 years, and scientists warn that coral reefs could be entirely wiped out by the end of the century. And for Curacao, this is no different.
Today, June 1st it is World Reef Day. This year, Pieter van Baren from Agrinature, Curacao’s representative of Raw Elements certified natural sunscreen, has offered the minister of Health, Environment & Nature Suzy Camelia-Römer a plastic-free tin of Reef Safe sunscreen. This sunscreen is not only environmentally friendly but is also safe to apply to your skin. In chemical sunscreens, there are a lot of substances that are absorbed and have negative health effects.
Coral reefs support more marine species than any other undersea habitat, with over 25% of the ocean’s fish depending on the healthy coral. Scientists estimate that worldwide nearly half a billion people depend on reefs as sources of food and income. In Curacao, fishermen depend on healthy reefs for their daily bread and our people and visitors for fresh and healthy fish. Besides this, our dive industry is a major economic pillar within the tourism sector. Furthermore, coral reefs protect us from waves of storms by absorbing a lot of the wave’s energy before crashing onto our coast and cause erosion and flooding.
The goal of World Reef Day is to shed light on the state of coral reefs worldwide. And to stimulate a global conversation about reef conservation and the simple things we can do in our own lives to make huge changes. One of the important things we can do is to create more awareness. There are a lot of inhabitants and visitors of Curacao that are not aware of the need to protect the reefs and keep the oceans alive. If we can create awareness among a few more people today and they create awareness among a few more people tomorrow, I think we’ll go a long way in protecting our reefs and making sure we continue to do what we can for our oceans.
Coral reefs can be found in both deep and shallow waters, but it is the latter that lends itself to booming coastal economies through tourism, fishing, shoreline protection, and more. Mismanaged and unregulated use of these natural wonders and the waters they live in, however, is cited as one of the leading culprits in the alarming demise of coral reefs on a global scale.
