The Future of the Coral Reefs

Right now, the coral reefs of the Red Sea are fairly healthy and less endangered compared to other ecosystems. However, the future does look bright for this particular ecosystem if we continue with business as usual.  Therefore, changes must be made to help this vulnerable ecosystem's future. Specifically with the Red Sea, it is important to keep in mind that this is a regional ecosystem, so no one country can be responsible for its future. International agreements are extremely important for the conservation efforts here.

With issues like tourism and maritime activity, stricter regulations must be implemented and enforced by regional governments. Additionally, the tourism industry should strive to shape itself using the ideals of ecotourism. Also, public education can go a long way in increasing overall awareness. Coastal development projects must also be better planned to ensure that the area can grow sustainably. Particularly with desalination plants, choosing the least vulnerable areas is a good option.


Finally, climate change is an issue that requires global cooperation in order to prevent future damages. Individuals taking action to become more “environmentally friendly” by doing such things as recycling and conserving energy is an example of how small scale actions can lead to big scale changes.

Source: http://www.seos-project.eu/modules/coralreefs/coralreefs-c04-p01.html

As you can tell from the picture above, between 1998 and 2006, there was a significant rise in occurrences of coral bleaching. While the corals of the Red Sea don't appear to be suffering from particularly high rates, the fact that it is occurring in corals that are so well adapted to extreme conditions is a telling sign. So although these coral reefs are not the most endangered, it is obvious that a threat still exists there, with the livelihood of the corals reefs in the Red Sea and the organisms that call it home very much at risk. Especially with the high levels of biodiversity and endemism there, the Red Sea and its coral reefs deserve our attention and conservation efforts.