Doorgaan naar hoofdcontent

Posts

Posts uit augustus, 2014 tonen

Protecting the reefs of the Gili Islands

Oceans 5 is protecting the reefs. Every week Oceans 5 dive resort organizes a free reef clean up in the harbor of Gili Air, Indonesia. A lot of people are asking us, why is our dive shop doing this and why is it so important to make awareness about the coral? So why are coral reefs so important? Coral reefs are some of the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth. Coral reefs support more species per unit area than any other marine environment, including about 4,000 species of fish, 800 species of hard corals and hundreds of other species. Scientists estimate that there may be another 1 to 8 million undiscovered species of organisms living in and around reefs (Reaka-Kudla, 1997). This biodiversity is considered key to finding new medicines for the 21st century. Many drugs are now being developed from coral reef animals and plants as possible cures for cancer, arthritis, human bacterial infections, viruses, and other diseases. Storehouses of immense biological wealth,