Coral reefs are one of the most beautiful and treasured ecosystems on Earth, and they are also highly threatened. Tourism, destructive fishing, climate change, coastal development and other human activities endanger our coral reefs. Over a third of the world's coral reefs will disappear in our lifetime. This means devastating losses in income, food and scientific discoveries. There is still hope for coral reefs, however grim the outlook may seem. Conservation projects in countries around the world have led to initiatives to conserve coral reefs. Coral reef protection is becoming established around the world and is considered one of the best ways to achieve coral reef protection. Human activity is directly and indirectly causing damage to coral reefs. There are three main types of coral reefs, which include coral reef, fringing reef, and atoll reef. The fringed reef has a completely shallow (i.e. lagoon) or no back reef area. The barrier reef is a coral reef separated from the mainland or coast of the island by a deep channel or lagoon. The atoll reef is a more or less circular or continuous reef surrounding the entire lagoon, without a central island. Other types of coral reefs include patch reefs, apron reefs, bank reefs, ribbon reefs, table reefs, habili, microatolls, islets and seamounts or Guyots. Many corals make up the reef. Some include stony corals, elkhorn corals, sea fans and sponges. Scleractinian corals, also known as stony or stony corals, are corals that create a hard skeleton. Much of the structure of modern coral reefs is made by Scleractinians. The number of stony or stony corals is likely to decline due to the effects of global warming. Elkhorn coral is believed to be one of the most vital reef-building corals. ...... middle of paper ...... the world's coral reefs have died due to rising water temperatures. Bleaching makes corals susceptible to disease, while severe bleaching kills them. It is estimated that approximately 10% of the world's coral reefs are dead and that 60% of the world's coral reefs are at risk due to tourism. There are many ways everyone can make a difference to our planet's coral reefs. Ways to help are to conserve water, reduce pollution (walking, cycling or taking the bus) and using organic or eco-friendly fertilisers. Not littering is another way to protect the coral reef. Any type of waste can pollute the water and damage the coral reef and the fish that live there. When diving, do not touch the coral reef. If you go boating, do not anchor the boat to the reef. It's all common sense, we are one of the reasons coral reefs are being destroyed. We influence it both consciously and unconsciously. Why not start by protecting our coral reefs?