Direct annual economic benefits of tourism and fisheries resulting from coral reefs amounts to US$94 million in St. Lucia and US$44 million in Tobago. Those numbers amount to 11 percent and 15 percent of those Caribbean islands’ yearly gross-domestic product.
The Aral Sea, on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, is a cautionary tale about how changes to ecosystems can have far-reaching impacts on the communities that depend on the services they provide.
Coastal communities worldwide are witnessing their livelihoods choked by agricultural and industrial pollution, according to findings released today by the World Resources Institute.
This map identifies 168 eutrophic and hypoxic coastal areas in Europe. Fifty-nine of these are documented hypoxic areas, 106 are areas of concern, and 3 are improved systems that are in recovery.
This map identifies 25 eutrophic and hypoxic zones, with 3 having documented hypoxia and 22 areas of concern. Most are found in Brazil, Chile, and Peru.
This map identifies 131 eutrophic and hypoxic coast zones in North America and the Caribbean. Sixty-two have documented hypoxia, 59 are areas of concern, and 10 are systems in recovery.
As part of World Water Day, The Access Initiative (TAI) is releasing a case study of how in 2004, poor data dissemination put the citizens of the capital of the world’s richest country at risk from lead in their drinking water.
Eutrophication—the overenrichment
of water by nutrients such as nitrogen and
phosphorus—has emerged as a leading water
quality problem. This report identifies over 415 areas
worldwide that are experiencing eutrophication symptoms, and there are significant information gaps in many regions.
Eutrophication—the over-enrichment of water by nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus—is a leading threat to water quality around the world. Also known as “nutrient pollution,” eutrophication upsets the natural balance of aquatic ecosystems, which can lead to algal blooms, red tides, hypoxic or “dead” zones, fish kills, and, eventually, ecosystem collapse.
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