ECO PRO
What the New UN Ocean Assessment Means for the Dive Industry by Alex Brylske, Ph.D. , President, Ocean Education International, LLC, Avon Park, FL
W HEN THE UNITED NATIONS releases a major status report on coral reefs, it deserves at- tention. But this latest assessment deserves more than that. The chapter on tropical and subtropical coral reefs in the Third World Ocean Assessment was written by a 23- member international team of respected coral reef scientists and specialists, including experts in reef ecology, climate impacts, restoration, fisheries, biodiversity, and management. That breadth matters. This is not a single-author opinion piece or a regional snapshot. It is a global synthesis produced through one of the world’s most credible multilateral scientific processes, and its message is blunt: coral reefs are still declining, the pace of disturbance is increasing, and the time between major stress events is no longer long enough for many reefs to recover. For dive professionals, that should land hard. Reefs are not
only the foundation of marine biodiversity; they are also the operating platform for much of the global dive economy. The UN chapter notes that coral reefs support approximately 25 percent of marine life and support about 1 billion people across more than 100 nations. It also estimates the value of reef goods and services at $2.7 trillion, including shoreline protection, tourism, food security, and livelihoods. In other words, this is not just an environmental story. It is a business continuity story for dive operators, resorts, training agencies, liveaboards, underwater photographers, and the coastal communities that rely on reef tourism. The report identifies the same major pressures we already know well, but it makes clear that they are now compounding with increasing force. Rising ocean temperatures associated with climate change remain the dominant global driver, bringing more frequent and more severe marine heatwaves
No coral, no fish.
Coral reefs are in trouble, and they need YOUR help.
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