 |  | _________ |  Soil erosion, overfishing, and urban pollution persist
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 To help save the reefs of Guam and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (USA), get active with these groups: Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund
| | _________ |  In the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas coral reefs are hindered chiefly by volcanoes, earthquakes, and tropical cyclones, but in the southern Marianas it's all about Homo sapiens: Guam's military, resort, and residential development is degrading its reefs, largely through sedimentation that is smothering previously healthy corals. Since 1975, Guam's rate of soil erosion has doubled; today erosion from road construction and 'badlands' created by range fires is estimated at 243 tons per acre per year. Sewage and other urban discharges are also harming coral ecosystems, and overfishing is a documented problem, with near-shore catches of reef fish plummeting more than 70 percent over the 12 years ending in 1997. | ||
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