The Children's Post, 9th June 2020

Hello Readers,

Em was excited! She was going on a family vacation to see something called the Coral Triangle. As her mother had explained, it was one of the most beautiful places on the Earth. But she had no idea what or where it was. “It is a triangular area in the marine waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands”, said Mumma. “These marine waters are abundant with over 500 species of corals”, said Papa. “But Papa, what is a coral?” “In the first glance, they look like beautifully colourful and patterned pieces of rocks, but they are tiny little animals called polyps. They grow on a reef. As they die, they harden, and new polyps grow on top of them” Papa explained. “Do you know why we are going to see them? It’s because today is Coral Triangle Day. It is annually observed on June 9^th in conjunction with the World Ocean Day on June 8^th. It is observed to raise awareness on the importance of coral reefs as they are vital for protecting the coastline from erosion, for medical discoveries, and for providing food for fishes. They grow at a slow rate of 1-2cm per year and some of the largest coral reefs took about 30 million years to form. That’s why it’s extremely important to preserve them. Come on Em, we are getting late for our snorkeling”, said Mumma, and the three of them went off to see the pretty corals.

Enjoy the edition!

-Priyanka

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