Sunday, September 7, 2008
~ Sunday, September 07, 2008 ~
Destruction worldwide
Coral reefs and fishes in Papua New Guinea
Coral reefs and fishes in Papua New Guinea
Southeast Asian coral reefs are at risk from damaging fishing practices (such as cyanide and blast fishing), overfishing, sedimentation, pollution and bleaching. A variety of activities, including education, regulation, and the establishment of marine protected areas are under way to protect these reefs. Indonesia, for example has nearly 33,000 square miles (85,000 km2) of coral reefs. Its waters are home to a third of the world's total corals and a quarter of its fish species. Indonesia's coral reefs are located in the heart of the Coral Triangle and have been victim to destructive fishing, unregulated tourism, and bleaching due to climatic changes. Data from 414 reef monitoring stations throughout Indonesia in 2000 found that only 6% of Indonesia's coral reefs are in excellent condition, while 24% are in good condition, and approximately 70% are in poor to fair condition (2003 The Johns Hopkins University).
On September 24, 2007, Reef Check (the world's largest reef conservation organization) stated that only 5% of Philippines 27,000 square-kilometers of coral reef are in "excellent condition" : Tubbataha Reef, Marine Park in Palawan, Apo Island in Negros Oriental, Apo Reef in Puerto Galera, Mindoro, and Verde Island Passage off Batangas. Philippine coral reefs is 2nd largest in Asia.[31]
General estimates show approximately 10% of the coral reefs around the world are already dead.[32][33]Problems range from environmental effects of fishing techniques, described above, to ocean acidification.[34] Coral bleaching is another manifestation of the problem and is showing up in reefs across the planet.
The reefs in the world NEED OUR help!!
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