Big Island Now poll results: You can’t put a price on a healthy reef

The coral reefs around the Hawaiian Islands are an important part of not just marine life but preventing shoreline erosion.

Protecting this natural resource is a priority for communities, the state and a variety of nonprofit groups. One of those groups, The Nature Conservancy, recently upped its coral reef insurance policy, which encompasses 344,950 square miles of coral reef in the Hawaiian Islands.

Two years ago, the nonprofit was the first to take out coral reef insurance in United States history. The policy’s minimum payout doubled to $200,000, while the maximum payout total of $2 million over the year-long policy period and $1 million per storm.

Our latest poll asks, “Is an insurance policy for Hawai‘i’s coral reef worth it?” Out of 197 votes, 64 voted “You can’t put a price on the health of the reef.”

Twenty-four people voted that if we clean up our water we’ll save our reefs.

Twenty-one people voted that the policy should include anchor drops, not just storm damage.

See full results below:

• Absolutely! You can’t put a price on the health of the reef. 64 (32%)
• If we clean up our water, we’ll save our reefs. 24 (12%)
• I think continued restoration projects will pay off in the long run. 20 (10%)
• Other. Please leave a comment. 20 (10%)
• The policy should include damage caused by anchor drops. 21 (10%)
• I haven’t really thought about the reef. They seem healthy to me. 12 (6%)
• The policy does seem a bit pricey. But I could see its value. 7 (3%)
• I guess it depends on how often our reef gets damaged by storms. 5 (2%)
• All of the above. 24 (12%)
• Total Votes: 197