What Can You Do to Help Protect Coral Reefs?
You can do several things to help protect coral reefs and your coastal watershed:
Be informed and involved. Learn about coral reefs and their importance to your coastal watershed. Participate in training or educational programs that focus on reef ecology. Be an informed consumer; ask the store owner or manager from what country the coral was taken and whether that country has a management plan to ensure that the harvest was legal and sustainable over time. Support the creation and maintenance of marine parks and reserves. Become a citizen volunteer. As a volunteer you might be involved in taking water quality measurements, tracking the progress of protection and restoration projects, or reporting special events like fish kills and storm damage. Volunteer for a reef cleanup or a beach cleanup. If you don't live near a coast, get involved in your local watershed program. Report dumping or other illegal activities.