According to the United Nations, the costs for nations to protect their coral reefs and mangroves are miniscule compared to the benefits they provide. Considering tourism, fisheries, timber, fuel wood, and shore protection, the UN valued a square mile of reefs to be between $259,000 and $1.5 million, and a square mile of mangroves to be between $526,000 and $2.36 million. (Extrapolating, this means coral reefs worldwide are worth tens of billions of dollars annually.) By contrast, the cost of protecting that same area of coral reef or mangroves in a marine park was just $775 a year. What a return on investment!

Moreover, the report indicated that a pound of harvested aquarium fish was far more valuable than a pound of “food fish,” suggesting that sustainable fisheries were exceedingly valuable to island nations. Frustratingly, the UN admitted that all estimates were based on “vague data” and had to be treated with caution. Nevertheless, this is a great first step towards encouraging poor nations to protect one of their most valuable resources.

Meanwhile, hot on the heels of that announcement comes one from the Philippines in which the government, in an attempt to conserve the biodiversity of the protected Tuka Marine Park and its municipal waters, implemented an ordinance imposing a hefty fine on anyone who destroys aquatic resources, including reefs.