Coral Reef Awareness Week

What Are the Main Threats Corals Face?

• Coral reefs face many threats, primarily from carbon dioxide, rising ocean temperatures, careless water practices, coral mining and damage from oxybenzone (a chemical found in most sunscreens).

What would happen if corals disappeared?

• The ocean fishing industry, that employs approximately 38 million people worldwide, would collapse.
• Corals reefs form natural coastline barriers. Without them, storm damage to the coast would increase significantly.
• Marine life would suffer, with many disappearing, as incredibly important spawning and feeding grounds would no longer exist.
• As much as $375 billion would be lost annually for near-reef economies due in part to the loss of local tourism and commercial fishing.

How can you help?

• Use a coral-safe sunscreen next time you go to the beach. Some things to look for when shopping for a coral-safe sunscreen include: oxybenzone-free, clear zinc-free, nano-free and paraben-free.
• Participate in community level initiatives, such as ride share programs or public transportation, to decrease your carbon footprint.
• Support legislation for energy efficient building practices and products.

Georgia Aquarium & Coral

• Georgia Aquarium houses both hard and soft coral.
• More than 30% of the Indo Pacifc Barrier Reef exhibit is live coral.
• We’re proud to partner with the Coral Restoration Foundation in Key Largo, Florida to help restore coral reefs.