There was a powerful insight in David Attenborough’s “Life on our Planet” series where he shared the challenges facing coral reefs.
The biggest challenge, by far, is the warming climate. When waters become too warm, reefs whiten and die. Coral reefs both contribute disproportionately to marine diversity and have been dying at accelerated rates due to warming waters.
The next, however, is shark overfishing. Sharks are the apex predator in the coral reef ecosystem. They eat the mid-size fish who, in turn, eat the “grazers” that keep the reef healthy. When the shark population falls, the mid-size fish eat too many of the grazers – throwing the entire ecosystem off balance.
This is a recurring theme in nature. Entire ecosystems can be thrown off balance when you hurt one part. It reminds me of John Muir’s insightful note – “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”
That idea applies to so many things in this life. We are all – all living beings included – connected in more ways than we realize.
