I cry when I look at my coral,” says the man who goes only by the name Simon. He has a sad little smile, and a hacking cough rattles his emaciated body. But the chronic bronchitis and asthma don’t keep him from taking care of the reef in front of his clan’s hamlet.
Many reefs in the Solomon Islands are overfished. Locals break off live coral to burn it to lime. They chew it together with betelnut. Pollution from mining operations as well as sediment washed out from logging sites puts the reefs under stress. Rising temperatures cause bleaching events.
Original Article: Saving Coral Reefs in the Solomons
