Tourism is an important and growing source of income and employment for many small island states. It accounts for over a quarter of the total economy of the Caribbean and provides a fifth of all its jobs, and is increasing rapidly in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Yet it also often spoils the very environment on which it depends, as mangroves and wetlands are destroyed for development, coral reefs are damaged by yachts and divers, and hotels discharge raw sewage into the sea. Small islands have little space to put their wastes. Sewage is mainly pumped out to sea, without treatment, and pollution is increasing with the growth of population and tourism.
Coral reefs are among the richest and most beautiful ecosystems on Earth.
A single reef can be home to 3,000 different species, while nearly one-third of all the world's fish species depend on them. They calm the energy of the waves, providing vital protection to shores. Yet, it is estimated, two-thirds of them worldwide are being destroyed by global warming and other human activities. Already at least two small atolls in Kiribati have sunk beneath the Pacific. Islands will become uninhabitable long before they physically disappear under the sea, as storms sweep over them more frequently and salt poisons the soil for crops and penetrates scarce freshwater supplies.