Megatourism, intensive fishing, and sewage, sewage, sewage

To help save the reefs of the Netherlands Antilles, get active with these groups:

Reef Care Curaçao / Kuida Ref Korsou

Saba Conservation Foundation

Stinapa Bonaire Marine Park

Deep Study: Volunteer divers help Earthwatch scientists map the deep reefs off Bonaire. Photo: Earthwatch

Mangroves have been depleted in the Dutch Antilles, and sewage, industrial waste, and oil-related pollution threaten its reefs as well. In 1971 Bonaire declared its surrounding waters to be a marine park and outlawed boat anchoring, spearfishing, and coral removal, but these precautions haven't spared its corals from massive attack by a new enemy: rapid wasting disease is "all over the reefs of Bonaire," the New York Times reported in 1997.