The Coral Reef Alliance - Coral Reef Tourism Protects Its Pot Of Gold, Taipei Times, 06/22/07

The Coral Reef Alliance - Coral Reef Tourism Protects Its Pot Of Gold, Taipei Times, 06/22/07

By Bonnie Tsui

Source: Taipei Times

06/22/07

Green sea turtles, cascades of glittering reef fish, blooming coral pillars -- countless travelers have come nose to nose with a thriving undersea universe while on vacation.

But increasingly, divers and snorkelers are swimming over bleached hunks of coral devastated by shore runoff or overfishing. From the South Pacific to the Caribbean, coral reefs -- which are among the most delicate of marine ecosystems -- are bearing the brunt of climate change and other human-driven activities -- including coastal development, deforestation and unrestricted tourism.

Now, many in the tourist industry are trying to halt the damage and it is no wonder. The dollars involved in reef-based tourism are significant: Australia's Great Barrier Reef alone draws about 1.9 million visitors a year, supporting a US$4.2 billion industry. According to the Nature Conservancy, the annual economic value of coral reefs to world tourism is US$9.6 billion.

Growing awareness of environmental issues means that the tourism industry has lately been a partner to conservation efforts in major reef areas. Though the Great Barrier is the most famous reef, it is not the"

The Coral Reef Alliance - Coral Reef Tourism Protects Its Pot Of Gold, Taipei Times, 06/22/07