Rebuilding The Ocean's Rainforests:
By Phil Bourjaily:
Thursday, February 24, 2000:
Think of reefs as rain forests of the seafloor.
Like the towering trees of the rain forest, reefs support an
extraordinary diversity of species. Like trees of the rain forest,
they often take centuries to mature. And like the rain forests, they
are in peril.
Pollution, temperature change, dredging, ship groundings,
commercial fishing, even recreational diving — all have wreaked
havoc on reefs.
Artificial reefs can't eradicate the causes of reef destruction, but
by adding structure to the seafloor, they provide shelter for fish
and a place for plants and coral to grow.
