Why are coral reefs important to economies?
According to the United Nations Atlas of the Oceans, reefs support the economies of at least 100 countries by helping to provide food for more than one billion people (UN 2010). While corals are not edible themselves, coral reefs provide habitat for many commercially important species, including many types of fish and lobsters. Mucous slime secreted by corals is high in polysaccharides and proteins. The slime is an important food source for some plankton consumed by commercially harvested fish species. Florida coral reefs provide habitat for more than 6,000 species of marine life and support commercial and recreational fishing industries that generate approximately $60 million annually (NOAA 1995; Bhat 2003). In addition to providing food and habitat for other species, corals—especially soft corals—are being explored for their medicinal properties. Chemicals purified from corals have promising anticancer and antibacterial properties. The estimated value of the planet’s coral reef resou
