03 Dec 2018

As coral reefs are dying from rising ocean temperatures, increasing ocean acidity, and direct

human damage, their importance to local communities can no longer be ignored. Consider the

2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. In Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka, where offshore coral reefs are protected

through a marine park, the damage extended only 50 meters inland. In nearby Peraliya, where coral

mining had degraded the reefs, the damage extended 1.5 kilometers inland. A recent study suggests

that, compared to a dead coral reef, a healthy coral reef provides communities up to 2 times more

protection from natural hazards like tsunamis.