Travellers from all corners of the world are attracted to the wonders of coral reefs and their colourful biodiversity. With tourists reaching even the most remote reef locations, they can be a valuable means of collecting data and information on coral reef ecosystems for the ongoing United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030).
World Reef Day, observed on 1 June every year, aims to raise awareness of the importance of coral reefs to planetary health. A quarter of all known marine species live on coral reefs, and these ecosystems support more than 1 billion people. Coral reefs protect coastlines from increasing damage by buffering them against waves, storms and floods, preventing loss of life, property damage and erosion.
With record ocean temperatures ringing alarm bells among those involved in coral reef protection and restoration, the need for reliable data is more important than ever. A 70–90 per cent decrease in live coral on reefs by 2050 may occur without drastic action to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Yet given its vastness, studying and exploring the marine environment presents logistical and financial challenges. Scientists alone cannot gather enough data. They need more eyes, ears and perspectives. This is where citizen scientists – trained and gathering data on corals in a standardized way – can help fill gaps in data collection and inform better decision-making.
Citizen science programmes also benefit local communities and businesses by raising awareness of environmental issues, say dive operators. Many customers want to do more than just recreational diving, are looking for a purpose while on holiday, and want to be involved in learning about, protecting and conserving the ocean.
While tourism features prominently in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and is identified as a means to promote the sustainable future use of marine and coastal resources, too many tourists descending on one place can have negative consequences for fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs. A recent study in Hawaii found a correlation between coral reef degradation and large numbers of tourists driven to popular locations by social media.
“Studies suggest that coral reefs both attract and suffer from coastal tourism,” says Leticia Carvalho, Head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Marine and Freshwater Programme. “While citizen science can help gather important data on corals, poorly managed tourism can indirectly impact reefs through development and pollution. Snorkelling and scuba diving, which are the primary water sports related to coral reefs, can directly damage individual coral colonies. That’s why it’s vital that coral reef tourism is guided by best practices and regularly evaluated to ensure its sustainability. ”
Partnerships for sustainable coral reef tourism and citizen science
The Reef-World Foundation, in partnership with UNEP, is leading the Green Fins initiative.
It engages a global community of marine tourism businesses and representatives from professionals to tourists and helps to build partnerships with the private sector, building sustainability into its business models and thus contribute to global conservation efforts.
An example is one of Reef-World’s key industry partners, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). PADI represents the largest network of dive centres, dive instructors and divers, making it uniquely positioned to play a role in the future sustainability of the marine tourism industry.
Educating divers to engage in an ocean-conscious lifestyle and enabling dive operators to run environmentally sustainable businesses can elevate the dive industry as an example of how people and the planet can co-exist in harmony. Some of these steps include educating divers not to touch corals, reducing the use of plastics and bolstering waste collection and management.
In the Dominican Republic, dive operators are actively contributing to citizen science with the support of local non-governmental organizations such as Reef Check (Green Fins’ implementation partner in the country) and the Dominican Foundation for Marine Studies.
They are conducting reef health monitoring, stony coral tissue loss disease monitoring and marine mammals monitoring. Data collected is analyzed and used locally by marine park managers, nationally by fisheries and environment managers, and internationally by organizations, including UN agencies, to help better monitor and care for coral reefs.
The March 2023 IPCC Synthesis Report warns that human activities have caused global warming and calls for “rapid and far-reaching transitions across all sectors and systems” to secure a “liveable and sustainable future for all.”
World Reef Awareness Day and World Reef Day create awareness among business communities and the general public about the fragile biological system of coral reefs, which – along with mangroves, seagrass meadows and kelp forests – are vitally important breeding grounds for fish and other marine animals.
For more information, please contact Lisa Rolls: lisa.rolls@un.org
