The simple act of removing and breaking up coral causes disturbance to the sea floor and leaves remnants behind. Therefore, any coral polyps that come to the area cannot attach themselves to permanent structures and recruitment is decreased. By taking out chunks of coral and rock from the reef, substrate is lost. One of the most significant effects of mining coral is that it causes a loss in biodiversity. This negatively affects a large area of the reef.įlattened coral Loss in Biodiversity One method to extract coral is to blast it with dynamite which breaks the coral up into smaller pieces that can be easily carried inshore. Finally, live coral is harvested to be used by the marine aquarium industry. Coral is also useful in the medical field for bone graph clinical trials. Coral is often mined by locals to fashion into jewelry to sell to visitors. Jewelry made from coral is a popular tourist souvenir for those who do not realize the impact this has on the reef. The Great Barrier Reef provides a ready and available source of coral and is fairly cheap, since only a permit is required to harvest coral in specific areas. This lime production happens often in Australia, because their farmland is very acidic.Lime is needed to raise the pH of the soil, which can increase crop yields.
Coral can also be made into calcium supplements or burned to produce lime. In many island nations – a notable example being the Maldives, where a 1995 study showed that 20,000 cubic meters of coral/yr were collected solely for construction materials – this is the cheapest material to use to build their roads, houses, and seawalls. The most common use of coral is to turn it into limestone or a cement substitute for use as a building material.
Coral is mined throughout the world for many purposes.
0 kommentar(er)
