Revision as of 15:56, 27 February 2013

Coral Mining

Construction
- Limestone
  - Coral can be made into limestone or a cement substitute for use as a building material
- Building Material for Roads, Houses, Seawalls/Groins/Jetties
  - Coral is the main construction material in many islands, such as the Maldives, where there is no cheaper option
Calcium
- Dead coral is made into calcium supplements
Jewelry/Souvenirs
- Coral jewelry and dried coral are often sold to tourists and exporters
Marine Aquaria
- Live coral is collected and used by the marine aquarium industry
Medical Use
- Coral is used for bone graph clinical trials

Dynamite Blasting
- Affects a large area of the coral reef
Manual Removal
- Collectors use small boats, free-dive, or wade into the coral reefs to collect the corals
- Large corals are broken up into small, manageable pieces using iron bars

coral mining can really take place anywhere there is coral available in a convenient location (off cays in shallow water, usually at low tide)
prominent locations include: the Great Barrier Reef, the Maldives, Panama, Indonesia, East Africa, the the general area of the South Pacific

loss in biodiversity due to:
- loss of substrate
- increased sedimentation
- more algae
- land retreat
- increased vulnerability to waves and natural disasters
- decrease in recruitment (mainly because there is not enough substrate available)
some reefs that have been mined and left untouched for 20 years have still not recovered because the biodiversity of the reef depends on corals and because corals do not have sufficient substrates to attach themselves to, coral cannot survive
Surprisingly, the harvesting of live corals, etc. for the aquarium industry do not have much of an impact of the reef. This is because only pieces of coral are taken and much of it is left intact. Also, because corals can regenerate from broken off fragments, it is generally observed that harvesting can be sustainable when the right methods are used
economic loss to local communities
- less tourism/ecotourism money coming into the community
- the destruction/mismanagement of 1sq. km. of reef results in a loss of up to $6.6 million
- for every $10 is profit made from mining, the community loses $254 (from the fishery and tourism industries)
economic value of mining to local communities
- the value of material taken from reefs is estimated at about $375 billion per year

@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 **increased vulnerability to waves and natural disasters
 **decrease in recruitment (mainly because there is not enough substrate available)
-*some reefs that have been mined at left untouched for 20 years have still not recovered because the biodiversity of the reef depends on corals and because corals do not have sufficient substrates to attach themselves to, coral cannot survive
+*some reefs that have been mined and left untouched for 20 years have still not recovered because the biodiversity of the reef depends on corals and because corals do not have sufficient substrates to attach themselves to, coral cannot survive
 *Surprisingly, the harvesting of live corals, etc. for the aquarium industry do not have much of an impact of the reef. This is because only pieces of coral are taken and much of it is left intact. Also, because corals can regenerate from broken off fragments, it is generally observed that harvesting can be sustainable when the right methods are used
 *economic loss to local communities
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 **the destruction/mismanagement of 1sq. km. of reef results in a loss of up to $6.6 million
 **for every $10 is profit made from mining, the community loses $254 (from the fishery and tourism industries)
+*economic value of mining to local communities
+**the value of material taken from reefs is estimated at about $375 billion per year