Thursday, March 28, 2024

Coral Reefs Have A Monetarily Quantifiable Value

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Coral reefs aren’t just scientifically or emotionally significant, but quantifiably and monetarily valuable.

That’s the assertion of Dr. Juli Berwald, an ocean scientist. In an essay in The Wall Street Journal adapted from her new book, “Life on the Rocks: Building a Future for Coral Reefs,” Berwald notes that environmental advocates have developed novel financial innovations aimed at protecting coral health.

The world’s first insurance policy to protect a marine ecosystem was issued in 2019, covering 100 miles of Cancun’s reef and beach. The policy paid out if wind speeds exceeded 100 knots. When 2020’s Hurricane Delta hit, it resulted in a nearly US$800,000 (~€741,280) payout, part of which paid for divers to stabilize the reef.

Restructured debt is another protection strategy, according to Berwald. The Tropical Forest Conservation Act allows the US government to forgive developing countries’ debt in exchange for their efforts in conserving forest habitat.

These “debt for nature” swaps generated $339 million (~€314 million) to protect and manage more than 67 million acres (27.1 million hectares) of forests in 14 countries.

Check out her full essay here.

John Liang
John Lianghttps://www.deeperblue.com/
John Liang is the News Editor at DeeperBlue.com. He first got the diving bug while in High School in Cairo, Egypt, where he earned his PADI Open Water Diver certification in the Red Sea off the Sinai Peninsula. Since then, John has dived in a volcanic lake in Guatemala, among white-tipped sharks off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, and other places including a pool in Las Vegas helping to break the world record for the largest underwater press conference.

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