Essay/Term paper: Why coral reefs need to be protected and conserved for future generations

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Biology

Coral Reefs need to be preserved for many reasons. In this paper I will discuss a
few of them. First of all, they houses a collection of diverse organisms, and contribute
fisheries which provide food items such as fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. Furthermore,
coral skeletons are being used as bone substitutes in reconstructive bone surgery and may
be able to provide important medicine, including anti-cancer drugs and a compound that
blocks ultra-violet rays, they even help reduce global warming by taking carbon dioxide out
of the air.
These reefs provide a house for many species. If the coral reefs were to become
extinct than future generations would not have the benefits that theses animals have to
offer, such as possible medicines, pest control, and carbon dioxide control.
Fisheries are also contributed by corals and if they were eliminated would reduce
the food source greatly. By not preserving corals, we are taking food directly out of our
grandchildren's mouths.
With the technology that is rapidly being discovered, we learn more and more about
what we can do with bone structure and hard corals. Right now we are doing
restructuring procedures and learning that bone tissue and blood vessels spread into the
coral graft and eventually bone replaces most of the coral implant. Think about what could
happen in the future, what future generations could do to improve bone structure
disabilities. The possibilities are endless.
There is evidence that suggests coral reefs could potentially provide important
medicines, including anti-cancer drugs and a compound that blocks out UV rays. Do we
really want to take that opportunity away from our descendants? With the ozone layer
depleting more and more each day they are going to need all the protection they need from
the sun's harmful rays. Possibly a cure for cancer, and people are treating these living
organisms like they are nothing. Maybe if there was more education people wouldn't take
the subject so lightly.
These organisms not only provide protection from ultra-violet rays they also help
slow down the depletion of the ozone layer by taking carbon dioxide out of the air.
The last reason I have as to why these precious resources should be protected is that
they are a living laboratory. Students and teachers can study the symbiotic relationship
between the coral and the organisms that live within it.
In conclusion, I would like to say that before writing this paper I had no idea how
important coral reefs were to the earth. I have learned a lot and I think that if more people
were informed about the positive capabilities of them, humans wouldn't be so careless with
them.