Some of the leading causes of nearshore coral decline can be related to land development and nearshore construction that are not environmentally sensitive. Sediment, silt, and other suspended solids wash off plowed fields, construction and logging sites, urban areas, strip-mined land, and eroded stream banks when it rains. In addition, heavy sedimentation can bury corals, inhibiting their growth or killing them. Pathogens are disease-causing microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Pathogens are harmful to corals, causing disease and scarring in many species.
Some toxic substances bind to sediment and are transported to coastal waters through sedimentation.
These toxic substances can cause scarring, death, or reproductive failure in fish, shellfish, and other marine organisms. In addition, they can accumulate in fish tissue, leading to fish consumption advisories. The sensitivity of corals makes them especially vulnerable to the introduction of toxic substances. In 1994, EPA, along with the State Department, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of the Interior, formed an international coalition to coordinate information and bring higher visibility to the need for coral reef ecosystem preservation. By addressing issues on a watershed scale, those areas that pose the greatest risk to human and ecological health can be targeted, several pollutants can be addressed at one time, the public can be involved in cleaning up the environment and protecting coral habitats, and integrated solutions for environmental protection can be considered.