Recreational overuse a threat to coral reefs

United States (global-adventures.us): Vacationing snorkelers and scuba divers aren't the biggest threat to coral reefs; that honor belongs to global warming, the fishing industry and land-based pollution. But tourism is still a major concern: In 2002, the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (CRTF) identified "recreational overuse" as one of six priority threats facing our country's coral reefs. The deleterious effects may be even more pronounced in developing countries, where rapid expansion of the tourism industry isn't always coupled with well-managed conservation efforts.

Tourists can damage corals intentionally, by touching them or breaking off branches as souvenirs, and unintentionally, by standing, walking or dragging their gear over them, so the CRTF. Snorkelers and divers can also kick up clouds of sediment with their fins. When silt lands on a reef, it blocks the sunlight that the algae that live in and nourish the corals need for photosynthesis.