Coral Reefs

Tourism

Scuba diving in Carmen, Agusan del Norte, Philippines. Source: Historianurian.

Tourists, especially scuba divers and snorkelers, also cause direct damage to coral reefs. Walking on the reef flats, breaking of corals, welling up sediments, anchor damage and souvenir collection are some of tourists' behaviour threatening corals.

Besides these, tourism has many, often uncontrolled, indirect impacts like destructive fishing, coastal development, etc.

The devastating effects tourism may have on coral reefs are illustrated by the example of Sharm el Sheik in the Egyptian Red Sea. Between 1997 and 2002, almost 30% of the live hard coral cover has been destroyed, predominantly by the negative impacts of diving tourism.