Cockburn Town Fossil Reef, San Salvador Island, The Bahamas (March 2018)
This fossilised brain coral is just one small part of a large, diverse fossilised Pleistocene reef (~125,000 yrs). Comparing this ancient reef to the local, “living” patch reefs put everything into perspective. None of the reefs I saw had more than ~10% of life (most ~2-5%). Much of the coral that was still alive was on its last legs, infected by disease or fungus, and covered in plastic debris. Coral species have survived countless stressors and changes over millions of years, but they are not surviving humans. If enough people make small daily changes, it can make a BIG difference in preventing further decline.