Soil erosion, overfishing, and urban pollution persist

To help save the reefs of the Federated States of Micronesia, get active with these groups:

Greenpeace Pacific

Micronesian Islands Conservation, Inc.

Society for Historic Investigation and Preservation

The population of this Caroline Islands nation is growing and increasingly migrating to urban centers, causing more pollution, sewage, garbage, overfishing, and inshore construction, all of which are damaging coral reefs. FSM has no protected marine areas, and tourism impacts are growing; the construction of new ports, airports, and roads to serve the dive-vacation crowds has degraded several reefs.

And it's not just the tourists who blunder around breaking up corals: In March 1994, the first mate of a 675-foot freighter, angling for a better look at topless women on the tiny island of Satawal, rammed the 73,000-ton ship straight into Wenimong Reef, eventually destroying or damaging an incredible 16,000 square yards of it. The reef was the primary food source for the island's 700 inhabitants, who subsequently managed to sue just $2 million in damages from the ship's operators.