Benefits of A Healthy Oceanic Ecosystem:
Oceans are a quintessential part of our livelihood, because healthyoceans are reservoirs of fish and minerals, with the capacity for waste conversion and controlling the climate. It is also noted that "properly designed reserves can be effective tools for protecting and restoring ocean ecosystems," because marine reserves focus on assisting the change in marine environments (and the state they are in now) to more natural marine environments.i In a time where there is increasing evidence that "ocean ecosystems are being altered beyond their range of natural variation by a combination of human activities, including fishing, pollution, and coastal development" marine reserves stand at the forefront of returning the oceans to their most humanely beneficial states.ii
Specific examples of these benefits can be seen with marine microbes and coral reefs. According to Blue Frontier: Saving America's Living Seas, marine microbes hold great promise for drugs and agricultural processes including anti-inflammation chemicals from sea feathers, virus killing proteins from sea grass molds, and cancer cell killing compounds from soft corals.iii When considering coral reefs, it is important to remember that coral reefs and mangroves are natural barriers against storms and floods. When the corals are destroyed, not only are these defenses wiped out, but key species are displaced, and the overall health of the marine ecosystem decreases.iv To prevent this, marine reserves protect the young corals that are needed to replace older corals that have been destroyed. They do this by protecting the parrot fish that eat the surrounding seaweed and keep it from taking over the area occupied by the corals.vThe corals grow thanks to the marine reserve and the marine reserve demonstrates its effectiveness in restoring the ocean ecosystem.
A coinciding advantage to maintaining a beautiful reserve and beautiful marine-life in the reserve is the tourism, research, and educational opportunities they generate. In a study taken by TERRA of the Isle Medes project, the statistics reported that:
• Due to the increased tourist trade from visitors to the marine reserve 30.000 more
beds have been added to the hotel capacity of the area
•Also 740 more yacht berthing places have been created
•120 new employment opportunities have been created
•A revenue of 3 million Euro per year from diving activities and tourist
accommodation has been attained
•A revenue of 2,5 million Euro per year has been created from visitors to the marine reserve. (TERRA 2003).vi
For this reason tourism has been further researched in relation to marine reserves, and is discussed in a different section.
When considering the advantages of a healthy marine ecosystem and how marine reserves facilitate the improvement of this ecosystem, it is also important to remember the disadvantages that stem from inaction. This is when the waters are openly polluted by storm water runoff, dry weather runoff and agricultural runoff. All these factors contaminate the beaches to the point where people who swim at these beaches are noted by the MSNBC news for being at risk "for a host of health problems, including gastroenteritis, respiratory infections — illnesses common in the Third World countries — as well as pink eye, ear infections and skin rashes."viiThe dirty waters also poison the marine flora and fauna that fishing industries are so quick to seize and serve. An unfortunate example of fish contamination is the mercury poisoning case in Minamata Japan during the 1950's, where many Japanese citizens were harmed by the fish they ate. These fish were captured from the Minamata Bay where the Chisso Corporation factory dumped its chemicals, and the high concentration of mercury the fish contained caused serious, permanent damage to the people who ate them.viii It is because of these horrible cases that it has become clear that the health of the oceans relates directly to the health of the people. It is for this reason that ocean restoration and marine reserves are a necessity in preserving our health and well-being as well as the health and well-being of future generations.
iKearny, Bill. (2000).National System of Protected Ocean Areas Would Promote Ecosystem-based Approach To Conservation and Management. The National Academics.
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=9994
iiNew Zealand Biodiversity. (2004).Marine reserves protect the marine environment - new report.http://www.biodiversity.govt.nz/news/media/current/01oct04.html
iiiHelvarg, David. (2001). "People in the Ocean, Seafood diet?" {_}Blue Frontier: Saving America's Living Seas{_}. W. H., Freeman and Company, New York. (pages 29-30)
ivIUCN: The World Conservation Union. (2007). {_}Protecting Oceans and Coasts Will Help Millions of People Survive Climate Change._
http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:mcjToGfIQ1oJ:www.iucn.org/en/news/archive/2007/04/10_pr_oceans.htm+oceans+help+people+by&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us&client=firefox-a
vBiology News Net. (2007). {_}Marine Reserves Could Save Coral Reefs._
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2007/05/14/marine_reserves_could_save_coral_reefs.html
viTERRA. (2003). {_}Innovative solutions to finance Marine Reserves conservation in Spain{_},
viewed 20 January 2006, http://www.terracentro.org.
viiDuswn, Allison. (2007). {_}America's Most Polluted Beaches: Is your shoreline sanitary? See what may be lurking near you._MSNBC.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19214761/
viiiPollack, Andrew. (1997). {_}Mercury, Mostly Gone From Bay in Japan, Still Poisons Town's Life._ The New York Times.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E1D6133EF930A1575BC0A961958260&sec=&spon
Ecological Enhancement within the Reserve:
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