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| A green sea turtle glides over fire coral |
The beautiful island of Barbados is surrounded by coral reefs. In fact the whole island is composed of ancient coral stone. But there is a problem: the reefs are but a shadow of their former selves.
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| Knobby sea rods sway in the ocean swells |
Pollution, agricultural run-off, warming water, acidification, over-fishing and coral collecting have all taken their toll over the years. Concerned citizens are taking action to restore the reefs and there is now one marine reserve established in Barbados. But there is still much to be done here and around the world.
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| A massive brain coral |
Did you know that coral reefs are the most complex ecosystems on Earth? Amazingly, 32 of the world's 39 animal phyla are found on reefs, compared with only 9 phyla found in tropical rainforests.*
*Barbados: a Coral Paradise, p. 31
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| A garden of flower corals |
So let's all do our part to raise awareness of the plight of coral reefs and work to preserve them for future generations to enjoy.
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| A large sea fan anchored firmly to the coral rock |
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| Plate corals can grow huge if they have a chance |
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| Daytime feeding pillar coral |
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