Do you know that coral reefs make up less than 1% of the Earth’s marine environment?

This makes it even more important for us to protect them.

Coral reefs are homes to more than one quarter of all known fish and tens of thousands of other species of marine life are found only on reefs and nowhere else in the world!

This means that if we destroy our reefs, we destroy all this marine life too because we will take away their home.

Sometimes we think that only the Government and the grown ups can make the world a better place, but all of us, from big to small, can keep our world safe.

Remember Pink Coral, she was small, but she made a BIG difference!

Here are some things you can do to keep our reefs safe:

1. Never walk on a reef, if you go to visit the Buccoo Reef on a glass bottomed boat and the tour guide gives you reef shoes, be brave like Pink Coral and tell him: “No thanks!”
   
   
2. Never touch coral-not only can you hurt the coral, but you can also get a nasty cut!
   
   
3. Use gentle strokes when near the reef or when swimming close to the bottom of the ocean, think like a fish, swim like a fish!
   
   
4. Never collect corals and shells, even when they wash up on shore, the beach needs them as part of its life, instead, sit on the sand and draw a picture of the shell or the coral and colour it and put it up in your room.
   
   
5. Never buy coral or sea shells or jewelry made from these, so people will stop taking them from the sea to sell them.
   
   

(Research courtesy: World Resources Institute and Buccoo Reef Trust websites)
Would you like to see pictures of Pink Coral, Blue Brothers, Grandfather Black and all other types of coral? Then Google TYPES OF CORAL and take a look!