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Coral reefs and coastal tourism in Hawaii

Study reveals tourism’s harmful effects on Hawaiian coral reefs.

According to Bing Lin et. al.,

"Coral reefs are popular for their vibrant biodiversity. By combining web-scraped Instagram data from tourists and high-resolution live coral cover maps in Hawaii, we find that, regionally, coral reefs both attract and suffer from coastal tourism. Higher live coral cover attracts reef visitors, but that visitation contributes to subsequent reef degradation. Such feedback loops threaten the highest quality reefs, highlighting both their economic value and the need for effective conservation management."

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Jan 09, 2023
Source Bing Lin et al.

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