en tropical forests are cut down to clear land for agriculture, pasture, or homes, topsoil washes down rivers into coastal ecosystems. Soil that settles on reefs smothers coral polyps and blocks out the sunlight needed for corals to live.Tourism presents specific threats, both direct and indirect, to coral reef ecosystems, often leading to the destruction of the economic and natural resource based upon which it depends. Direct tourism threats include: damage to corals by divers, snorkelers, and boat anchors; and damage by cruise and recreational boat groundings. Indirect impacts on reefs by tourism include: James W. Hyde BIOL 1040sedimentation and pollution associated with coastal tourism development and port dredging; wastewater, gray ...
