USGS Pacific Coral Reefs Website

Reefs at Risk, 2 of 2

Human Impact on Coral Reefs

Human activities can affect coral reefs in countless ways from overt destructive practices such as cutting channels through reefs to poorly placed anchorages, or environmental pollution. A seldom-considered impact is increasing human population.

Increased tourism in Hawai‘i, for example, means more stress is placed on island resources that ultimately may lead to degraded coral reef habitat. It also means more people visit the reefs, where more corals are broken, collected, or accidently damaged. This raises an ironic question, are we loving the reefs to death?

Coral reefs in urban areas such as those on O‘ahu face problems that are different from Moloka‘i and other islands. Scientists at the USGS and in affiliated institutions are just beginning to map and assess the risks of Hawai‘i urban reefs.

Population increased steadily in the State of Hawai‘i from 1900 to 2000, and it is projected to increase at about the same rate through the year 2025. The number of visitors between 1949 and 2000 has increased much more dramatically. (Sources of data: 2000 US Census and Population and Economic Projections for the State of Hawai‘i DBEDT Series 2025)

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