Our oceans and their inhabitants are threatened in various ways by climate change. On the one hand, the ocean absorbs large amounts of CO2 (around a third of annual CO2 emissions) and is considered a carbon sink. However, the CO2 absorbed also reduces the pH value of the water and the water “acidifies”. This acidification of the oceans has a major impact on all oceanic inhabitants with a calcium carbonate shell, such as mussels, crabs, corals, snails, starfish, etc. The increased CO2 content makes it more difficult for them to form their calcium carbonate shells, as the acidic water attacks the shells . For this reason, they are slowly disappearing in particularly acidic parts of the sea, which reduces diversity in the sea and makes them no longer available as a food source for other animal species, which has fatal consequences for the entire food cycle.

The impact on corals is also particularly dramatic because corals serve as nurseries for many species. If the coral reef habitat disappears, the marine ecosystem changes dramatically.

Unfortunately, our coral reefs are also threatened by other aspects of climate change. As the seas warm, corals are exposed to very high levels of stress. Corals are cnidarians that live in symbiosis with zooxanthellae (photosynthetically active single-celled organisms) on a layer of limestone that grows every year. If the water temperature increases too much and the stress level becomes too high, the corals begin to shed zooxanthellae, causing them to lose their color and bleach. This does not mean that the corals die immediately, they can recover if the water temperatures drop again. However, if recovery does not occur, the corals die after a certain period of time. As a result, one of the most biodiverse habitats on our planet is being lost, which has massive impacts on the entire marine ecosystem. The oceanic megafauna in particular suffers, as the corals can no longer be used directly as nurseries, they can’t serve as a food source (Hawksbill turtle) and they are also no longer a habitat for potential prey of certain species, which leads to a loss of habitat.

Habitat loss in marine ecosystems has many reasons:

Climate change is heating the water, causing corals to bleach and, in the long term, die. In addition, marine creatures leave their traditional territory when the temperature changes and look for new waters with the optimal temperature for them. This leads to a change in the ecosystems and has far-reaching consequences in a complex system. Mangroves, among other things, are threatened by global sea level rise.

In addition, the mangrove forests are cut down by the local population to use the wood for various purposes, such as making way for human infrastructure and settlements, or preparing beautiful sand beaches for tourists.

The construction industry removes sand to use it as building material.

Industrial fishing destroys habitats through the use of trawl nets that are dragged across the ocean floor, inexorably crushing everything. Shrimp farming kills mangrove forests on a large scale through the use of chemicals; the reforestation after use as a shrimp farm is almost always impossible. Overall, large-scale chemical pollution threatens almost all habitats. This includes, above all, the industrial production of mineral oil.

All this destroys the homes of many species. This has dramatic consequences, as many fish nurseries in particular suffer from this and the young fish cannot find their way in the open ocean and end up too early in a hunter’s stomach without the urgently needed protection.

However, it is negative when tourism providers only view the animals as objects that bring them money and do not prioritize the welfare of the animals, but instead focus on the fun of the guests at the expense of the animals. The effects of this are particularly devastating for animals. Among other things, increased and very careless boat traffic in tourist regions leads to frequent injuries to animals. The boat propellers cause large-scale wounds and sometimes even destroy entire fins and backs, which can lead to death for the animals. In addition, unfortunately too many tour providers do not adhere to certain rules of conduct and ensure that their guests treat the animals with respect. The animals feel harassed, are exposed to great stress and cannot rest. Some tourists even deliberately touch the wildlife.

As a result, the animals change their natural behavior, avoid certain regions in the long term, suffer from the severe stress and may even die as a result.

Shark finning is a cruel method of removing fins from sharks while they are still alive. In some countries in Asia, the fins are in demand for shark fin soup. For this reason, the value of the fins is much higher than the rest of the body meat. This motivates many fishermen to catch the sharks with longlines on the high seas and then cut off their fins while they are still alive. The sharks are then thrown back into the sea while still alive because they have no value to the fishermen. The sharks are now immobile. Some shark species rely on moving to breathe in order to flush water with oxygen through their gills. When they can no longer move, they suffocate and die in agony. Other shark species can also breathe without moving their hole body by actively moving their gills. These sharks sink to the bottom of the ocean, unable to move, and actively witness other carnivores eating them alive.
To date, shark finning is not heavily regulated. There are initial legal efforts to ban or restrict this method, for example by requiring the entire shark body to be landed, but in most cases these regulations are not strictly enforced or only minor penalties are imposed in the event of violations.

Shark finning and longline fishing is the main cause of the massive decline in shark populations worldwide.

Our oceans and their inhabitants are threatened in various ways by climate change. On the one hand, the ocean absorbs large amounts of CO2 (around a third of annual CO2 emissions) and is considered a carbon sink. However, the CO2 absorbed also reduces the pH value of the water and the water “acidifies”. This acidification of the oceans has a major impact on all oceanic inhabitants with a calcium carbonate shell, such as mussels, crabs, corals, snails, starfish, etc. The increased CO2 content makes it more difficult for them to form their calcium carbonate shells, as the acidic water attacks the shells . For this reason, they are slowly disappearing in particularly acidic parts of the sea, which reduces diversity in the sea and makes them no longer available as a food source for other animal species, which has fatal consequences for the entire food cycle.

The impact on corals is also particularly dramatic because corals serve as nurseries for many species. If the coral reef habitat disappears, the marine ecosystem changes dramatically.

Unfortunately, our coral reefs are also threatened by other aspects of climate change. As the seas warm, corals are exposed to very high levels of stress. Corals are cnidarians that live in symbiosis with zooxanthellae (photosynthetically active single-celled organisms) on a layer of limestone that grows every year. If the water temperature increases too much and the stress level becomes too high, the corals begin to shed zooxanthellae, causing them to lose their color and bleach. This does not mean that the corals die immediately, they can recover if the water temperatures drop again. However, if recovery does not occur, the corals die after a certain period of time. As a result, one of the most biodiverse habitats on our planet is being lost, which has massive impacts on the entire marine ecosystem. The oceanic megafauna in particular suffers, as the corals can no longer be used directly as nurseries, they can’t serve as a food source (Hawksbill turtle) and they are also no longer a habitat for potential prey of certain species, which leads to a loss of habitat.

There are currently around 80 million tonnes of plastic floating in our oceans. Approximately 4.8 to 12.7 million tons are added annually. This corresponds to a volume of one truck filling per minute. Only a small part floats on the surface, the majority sinks into the deep sea or to the sea floor. Plastic decomposes very slowly and, depending on the type, takes several hundred to thousands of years to completely decompose. Until then, it breaks down into smaller and smaller particles, so-called microplastics. The problem is that animals mistake these small plastic particles for food, such as plankton, and eat them. This causes their stomach to fill up, but logically they are not full and starve, even though they are “eating”. If larger pieces of plastic are eaten, there is also a risk that the animals will suffocate or become blocked.

However, it is not only microplastics that are problematic, large plastic pieces also pose a significant risk to the inhabitants of the sea. Animals get caught in various plastic pieces such as plastic straps or plastic nets and cannot free themselves. As a result, they die very slowly and painfully. In the case of marine mammals, they have to breathe on the surface and if they get caught, they often suffer painful suffocation and drowning.

But Plastic is not the only pollution in our seas; oil and other chemicals also threaten the oceans and their inhabitants.

Habitat loss in marine ecosystems has many reasons:

Climate change is heating the water, causing corals to bleach and, in the long term, die. In addition, marine creatures leave their traditional territory when the temperature changes and look for new waters with the optimal temperature for them. This leads to a change in the ecosystems and has far-reaching consequences in a complex system. Mangroves, among other things, are threatened by global sea level rise.

In addition, the mangrove forests are cut down by the local population to use the wood for various purposes, such as making way for human infrastructure and settlements, or preparing beautiful sand beaches for tourists.

The construction industry removes sand to use it as building material.

Industrial fishing destroys habitats through the use of trawl nets that are dragged across the ocean floor, inexorably crushing everything. Shrimp farming kills mangrove forests on a large scale through the use of chemicals; the reforestation after use as a shrimp farm is almost always impossible. Overall, large-scale chemical pollution threatens almost all habitats. This includes, above all, the industrial production of mineral oil.

All this destroys the homes of many species. This has dramatic consequences, as many fish nurseries in particular suffer from this and the young fish cannot find their way in the open ocean and end up too early in a hunter’s stomach without the urgently needed protection.

Tourism is a coin with two sides. Tourism can have a lot of positive impacts if done right. For the region, the community, nature, wildlife and nature conservation. However, if done incorrectly, it can have just as many negative effects.

What is positive is that the income generated by tourism means more money is available for nature conservation. The money that comes into the country through tourism ideally also benefits the local population. Especially when it comes to nature related tourism and certain species are highlighted, this is a strong incentive for local residents to protect these species, as they are more valuable alive than dead. This applies, among others, to sharks. A killed shark brings in money once, a live shark brings in money countless times. As more people experience these animals in their natural environment, awareness of nature and understanding of how animals should actually live grows. Back home, these tourists talk about the animals, their experiences and what they have learned and are an extremely important lever for publicizing nature conservation.

However, it is negative when tourism providers only view the animals as objects that bring them money and do not prioritize the welfare of the animals, but instead focus on the fun of the guests at the expense of the animals. The effects of this are particularly devastating for animals. Among other things, increased and very careless boat traffic in tourist regions leads to frequent injuries to animals. The boat propellers cause large-scale wounds and sometimes even destroy entire fins and backs, which can lead to death for the animals. In addition, unfortunately too many tour providers do not adhere to certain rules of conduct and ensure that their guests treat the animals with respect. The animals feel harassed, are exposed to great stress and cannot rest. Some tourists even deliberately touch the wildlife.

As a result, the animals change their natural behavior, avoid certain regions in the long term, suffer from the severe stress and may even die as a result.