Hawai'i: It's the Year of the Reef

Lynda Arakawa, Honolulu Advertiser.com 24 Jan 08;

Hawai'i's coral reefs shelter thousands of marine plants and animals and protect shores from erosion. They create the Islands' legendary surf and are critical to the state's marine tourism industry.

Coral reefs, sometimes called the rain forest of the sea, also are under enormous stress from threats ranging from pollution and alien species to overfishing and recreational overuse.

"They're valuable, they're awesome, they're spectacular, and they're in trouble," said Randall Kosaki, research coordinator for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

The state and counties tomorrow will kick off an environmental campaign that aims to educate the public about the importance of — and how to protect — Hawai'i's coral reefs.

The International Year of the Reef is a yearlong, global campaign to raise awareness about the value of coral reefs, as well as the threats to them. The previous International Year of the Reef campaign in 1997 drew participation from more than 225 organizations in 50 countries and territories.

The state is partnering with public, private and nonprofit groups to hold a series of events throughout the year that will focus on bringing attention to the ecological, economic, social and cultural value of coral reefs, Gov. Linda Lingle's office said. Events include teacher workshops, beach cleanups and other reef-related outreach programs.

Tomorrow's campaign kick-off will include educational booths, displays and demonstrations on the state Capitol's fourth floor.

Hawai'i has hundreds of thousands of acres of living reef, home to more than 5,000 known species of marine plants and animals. About one in four of these species is found only in Hawai'i. With new genetic tools and more intensive sampling, the number of known species could easily double, said Alan Friedlander, Pacific coral reef science coordinator for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's biogeography program.

The net benefits of Hawai'i's coral reefs have been estimated at $360 million a year, with an overall asset value of $10 billion.

But reefs in Hawai'i and around the world are under threat from alien invasive species, overfishing, land-based pollution and ocean debris.

Climate change — which can contribute to coral bleaching — is also a looming threat, underscoring the importance of preserving reefs. Healthy coral reefs tend to be more resilient to climate change, scientists say.

"The latter half of the 20th century has seen the decline of coral reefs worldwide and here in Hawai'i, and yet we still have this problem of the sliding baseline where you just accept things the way they are as normal and the way they always have been," Kosaki said. "If you look back a generation or (more), then you realize how much damage we've done."

But Kosaki has hope, noting that the increased protection of the largely pristine Northwestern Hawaiian Islands has raised awareness about what a healthy reef ecosystem looks like.

"I'm very hopeful that through good education and outreach we can make people aware of more responsible ways to use the reef," he said.

"The Year of the Reef is a good opportunity to ... get the message out on our reefs, both good and bad. There are a lot of good things to be said about our reefs. They're valuable resources, recreationally and commercially. Culturally they're really important for Native Hawaiians."

Hawai'i's 1.2 million residents and about 7 million tourists each year have put increasing pressure on the state's coral reefs, and a number of urban areas and popular visitor spots have suffered from land-based pollution, "significant fishing pressure," recreational overuse and alien species, according to a 2008 report on "The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the Main Hawaiian Islands."

The report, scheduled to be released this summer, said that despite these human stressors, "many of Hawai'i's coral reefs, particularly in remote areas, are still in fair to good condition."

But that doesn't mean that everything's fine when it comes to Hawai'i's coral reefs.

Friedlander, lead author of the report, said Hawai'i's reefs are "hanging on better" than others around the world and that there are certain remote places that are faring fair to good.

But "I wouldn't say ... there's nothing to worry about, and I certainly would say there's a lot of places that need help," he said, noting the south shore of O'ahu and Maui and Kane'ohe Bay.

"Don't underemphasize the fact that where there are big human footprints, where we've got development, heavy fishing pressure, invasive species, those reefs are in bad shape."

A report focusing on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which Friedlander also led, notes that the coral reef ecosystem in the main Hawaiian Islands is "in very poor condition" compared to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which shows what Hawaiian reefs used to look like.

The report cited various changes that need to be made to help restore and protect reef ecosystems in the main Hawaiian Islands, including additional restrictions on "overly efficient" fishing gear types such as gill nets and scuba fishing.

Friedlander said more community-managed and marine-protected areas are also key to helping protect and restore coral reefs. The report said sediment discharge is probably the leading land-based pollutant that is altering the reef ecosystem here, and that best management practices to reduce sediment runoff should be followed as coastal development expands.

Hawai'i also needs to invest more in preventing the spread of alien algae, the report said.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands also are vulnerable to poaching and long-term threats such as disease, sea-level rise and coral bleaching associated with climate change, the report said.

SAVE THE REEF

What you can do to protect coral reefs:

Don't use chemically enhanced pesticides, fertilizers and cleaning products. Use natural cleaners: white vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice.

Keep it clean. Keep green waste and other debris out of storm drains and waterways. They can wash down streams and drains and smother coral reefs. Participate in volunteer cleanups. Recycle.

Dive and play responsibly. Don't touch or step on coral reefs. One step on a coral may damage it; two to nine steps will kill it. Don't disturb sediment at the bottom; it can smother corals.

Fish responsibly. Fish help keep the reef healthy; take only what you need. Don't leave lines, nets or other fishing equipment on the reef.

Conserve water. The less water used, the less runoff and wastewater that make it into the ocean.

Don't anchor on the reef. If near a coral reef, use mooring buoy systems when available.

Prevent alien species. Clean boat hulls regularly and properly dispose waste.

Source: NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative Research Program, state Division of Aquatic Resources

LINKS

Singapore also celebrates International Year of the Reef!
see the singapore celebrates our reefs blog

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Shell chief fears oil shortage in seven years

Carl Mortished, Times Online 25 Jan 08;

World demand for oil and gas will outstrip supply within seven years, according to Royal Dutch Shell.

The oil multinational is predicting that conventional supplies will not keep pace with soaring population growth and the rapid pace of economic development.

Jeroen van der Veer, Shell’s chief executive, said in an e-mail to the company’s staff this week that output of conventional oil and gas was close to peaking. He wrote: “Shell estimates that after 2015 supplies of easy-to-access oil and gas will no longer keep up with demand.”

The boss of the world’s second-largest oil company forecast that, regardless of government policy initiatives and investment in renewables, the world would need more nuclear power and unconventional fossil fuels, such as oil sands.

“Using more energy inevitably means emitting more CO2 at a time when climate change has become a critical global issue,” he wrote.

Mr van der Veer is expected to discuss Shell’s energy outlook today at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

In his e-mail, which was reported on RoyalDutchShellplc.com, an independent website that monitors the company, Shell’s chief set out two scenarios for the world’s energy future.

The first scenario, “Scramble”, envisages a mad dash by nations to secure resources. With policymakers viewing energy as “a zero-sum game,” use of domestic coal and biofuels accelerates.

It is a world, said the Shell chief, where “policymakers pay little attention to energy consumption – until supplies run short.”

The alternative scenario, “Blue-prints”, envisages a world of political cooperation between governments on efficiency standards and taxes, a convergence of policies on emissions trading and local initiatives to improve environmental performance of buildings.

Shell has not committed to either scenario. The oil company regularly uses scenario-planning to test the likely impact of widely divergent economic and political scenarios on its long-term strategy.

Unsurprisingly, Mr van der Veer indicated that Shell preferred the Blueprints scenario but he expressed caution over the likelihood of it coming to pass without a global approach to emissions trading.

The Blueprints scenario assumes that 90 per cent of CO2 is captured by coal and gas power plants in developed countries by 2050, and at least half of the CO2 emitted by power stations in the developing world. No such plants are in operation today, noted the Shell chief. “It will be hard work and there is little time,” he said.

Mr van der Veer’s comments emerged in the same week that the European Commission launched reforms to its carbon trading system, with plans to force power stations to buy permits to emit CO2.

In an acknowledgement of the challenge of securing global acceptance of the need to curb carbon emissions, the Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, said that the Commission would consider the possibility of taxing imports into the EU by countries that failed to take equivalent measures to curb carbon emissions.

Mr van der Veer’s prediction that the oil industry would soon struggle to deliver sufficient conventional oil and gas to meet demand echoes growing concern from other oil bosses.

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Singapore: search for biological and chemical treatment of water

EWI Council calls for research proposals on water treatment processes
Channel NewsAsia 27 Jan 08;

SINGAPORE : The search is underway to find both biological and chemical processes to treat raw and used water.

The Environment and Water Industry Development Council (EWI) is calling for proposals from researchers.

Biological processes involve the use of micro-organisms in water treatment such as the use of bugs.

Chemical reduction-oxidation processes make use of chemical reactions to treat water.

They help to improve water quality and treatment efficiencies and can be used in both municipal and industrial applications.

A panel made up of international and local water experts will evaluate the proposals.

Mr Harry Seah, EWI's Director for Capability Development, said the Council wants to develop the best ideas and it will not limit the number of projects it will fund.

The Council is funding research activities, the development of promising technologies and the cost of commercialisation.

Applicants are invited to submit their research proposals on the two topics.

It is open to tertiary institutions, research institutes and water companies in Singapore.

Interested applicants can visit the EWI website for more information. - CNA/ch

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Where do old satellites go to die?

Disabled spy satellite threatens Earth
Eileen Sullivan, Associated Press Yahoo News 27 Jan 08;

[wild comment: it is 'harmless' if the satellite falls into the ocean, but 'threatens Earth' if it doesn't?]

A large U.S. spy satellite has lost power and could hit the Earth in late February or early March, government officials said Saturday.

The satellite, which no longer can be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where on the planet it might come down, they said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret. It was not clear how long ago the satellite lost power, or under what circumstances.

"Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council, when asked about the situation after it was disclosed by other officials. "Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause."

He would not comment on whether it is possible for the satellite to perhaps be shot down by a missile. He said it would be inappropriate to discuss any specifics at this time.

A senior government official said that lawmakers and other nations are being kept apprised of the situation.

The spacecraft contains hydrazine — which is rocket fuel — according to a government official who was not authorized to speak publicly but spoke on condition of anonymity. Hydrazine, a colorless liquid with an ammonia-like odor, is a toxic chemical and can cause harm to anyone who contacts it.

Such an uncontrolled re-entry could risk exposure of U.S. secrets, said John Pike, a defense and intelligence expert. Spy satellites typically are disposed of through a controlled re-entry into the ocean so that no one else can access the spacecraft, he said.

Pike also said it's not likely the threat from the satellite could be eliminated by shooting it down with a missile, because that would create debris that would then re-enter the atmosphere and burn up or hit the ground.

Pike, director of the defense research group GlobalSecurity.org, estimated that the spacecraft weighs about 20,000 pounds and is the size of a small bus. He said the satellite would create 10 times less debris than the Columbia space shuttle crash in 2003. Satellites have natural decay periods, and it's possible this one died as long as a year ago and is just now getting ready to re-enter the atmosphere, he said.

Jeffrey Richelson, a senior fellow with the National Security Archive, said the spacecraft likely is a photo reconnaissance satellite. Such eyes in the sky are used to gather visual information from space about adversarial governments and terror groups, including construction at suspected nuclear sites or militant training camps. The satellites also can be used to survey damage from hurricanes, fires and other natural disasters.

The largest uncontrolled re-entry by a NASA spacecraft was Skylab, the 78-ton abandoned space station that fell from orbit in 1979. Its debris dropped harmlessly into the Indian Ocean and across a remote section of western Australia.

In 2000, NASA engineers successfully directed a safe de-orbit of the 17-ton Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, using rockets aboard the satellite to bring it down in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean.

In 2002, officials believe debris from a 7,000-pound science satellite smacked into the Earth's atmosphere and rained down over the Persian Gulf, a few thousand miles from where they first predicted it would plummet.

Associated Press writers Pamela Hess and Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.

Satellite unlikely to pose danger to humans
Andrea Shalal-Esa Yahoo News 29 Jan 08;

A disabled U.S. spy satellite is likely to break into small pieces when it falls to Earth within weeks, posing little danger to humans, U.S. government officials and space experts said on Monday.

Most, if any, debris that survives the intense heat of re-entry would likely fall into the oceans, which cover more than 70 percent of the Earth, White House National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

But he said the U.S. government was monitoring the satellite's descent from orbit and examining different options to "mitigate any damage."

The U.S. military could potentially use a missile to destroy the minivan-sized satellite in space, but one senior U.S. defense official said that was unlikely for several reasons, including concern about creating space debris as China did when it shot down one of its satellites last year.

"Given that 75 percent of the Earth is covered in water and much of the land is uninhabited, the likely percentage of this satellite or any debris falling into a populated area is very small," Johndroe said.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said more than 17,000 man-made objects re-entered the Earth's atmosphere over the past 50 years without major incident.

"We are monitoring it ... we take our obligations seriously with respect to the use of space," Whitman said, noting the satellite was expected to return to earth "over the next several weeks ... late February, early March."

SATELLITE LAUNCHED IN 2006

The satellite is a classified National Reconnaissance Office spacecraft launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in 2006, according to four senior U.S. officials, who asked not to be named.

The satellite, known as L-21, has been out of touch since shortly after reaching its low-Earth orbit. Built by Lockheed Martin Corp at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, the satellite has fallen more than 70 km (43 miles) to an orbit at around 280 km (174 miles) above the Earth. U.S. and European astronomers estimate it is dropping at an accelerating rate of some 8 km (5 miles) a day.

Because the satellite never became operational, it has toxic rocket fuel on board that would have been used to maneuver the satellite in space. It could pose a danger if the fuel tank does not explode upon re-entry.

Thousands of space objects fall to Earth each year, but they generally scatter over a huge area and there have never been any reported injuries, two U.S. officials said.

Occasionally, bigger objects survive, including a 563-pound (255-kg) stainless steel fuel tank from a Delta II rocket that landed 50 yards from a farmer's home in Texas in 1997.

This L-21 satellite is much smaller, and more likely to burn up as it enters the atmosphere, scientists said.

The U.S. military has no weapon designed to shoot down a satellite, but it demonstrated the ability to do that in the mid-1980s, and could cobble together a plan to do so again fairly quickly, said the senior defense official.

Such a move appears unlikely, given global dismay about China's use of a missile to destroy a much bigger satellite at a higher orbit, which scattered nearly 1,000 pieces of debris throughout space, the official said.

(Additional reporting by Andrew Gray)

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Food prices soar in Jakarta

Consumers protest commodity price rise
The Jakarta Post 26 Jan 08;

Housewives have protested the soaring prices of basic commodities which have left traditional markets and shopping centers empty, nationwide.

Nurin Agustion, a 35-year-old mother of two young children in Pundak Payung, Semarang, said she could only afford 15 kilograms of rice where previously she could get 20. She said she has bought more local fish than meat or chicken and has reduced her usage of cooking oil because of the soaring prices of commodities including meat, palm oil, fruit and vegetables.

"I can not increase my daily budget because my husband's monthly income has not been raised. I have to manage our monthly budget carefully so that we can survive this difficult situation," she told The Jakarta Post.

Traditional markets and shopping centers, including department stores and malls in urban areas in Central Java, have substantially quietened since the 2006 earthquake which shook the province and Yogyakarta.

"Following the quake many rice-belt areas in the two provinces could not meet their rice production targets," National Logistics Agency (Bulog) local office chief Indiarto said.

"This condition has been worsened by the soaring price of soybeans, the raw materials for tempeh and tofu, two primary foods in Java," he said.

Menik, A fishmonger at Depok Beach in Yogyakarta, said her sales had dropped by 50 percent over the past few weeks with the lack of buyers following the soaring prices of basic commodities in the province.

"Before the price increases, my sales were around Rp 1 million a day but recently it has dropped to around Rp 500,000. I could earn on the average of Rp 40,000 a day," she told the Post.

Depok fishermen said they had to increase fish prices by 20 percent due to the soaring price of rare fuels, especially kerosene.

They said the prices could be stabilized if the government guaranteed the distribution of fuel to rural areas in the province.

Darmi, another fish trader, said she could understand the quiet fish market on the beach with the increased prices of all commodities which had weakened people's purchasing power.

Sumarti, a rice vendor at Beringhardjo traditional market in Yogyakarta, said the market was crowded for only a few hours in the morning but then became silent in the afternoons.

The price of C-4 rice rose to from Rp 5,300 to Rp 5,600 per liter, while regular cooking oil rose from Rp 9,000 to almost Rp 12,000 a liter.

The price of wheat flour went from Rp 5,500 to Rp 7,000 per kilogram.

"The price hikes have a lot to do with increased cost of transportation and have been triggered by the soaring prices of rice, eggs, chickens and soybeans," Sumarti said.

The Post correspondent in Batam, Riau Islands, reported that the price of consumption commodities had continued to soar in line with price increases in other provinces, despite the island's status as free-trade zone.

Local trade and industry office chief Achmad Hijazi said the prices of basic commodities in the province were similar to other provinces because all consumption commodities were supplied to the island from regions under government supervision and regulation.

"Local authorities are not allowed to import rice or other basic commodities directly from Vietnam, to maintain the price of basic commodities and protect local products," he said, adding that the soaring prices had affected the livelihoods of low-income earners on the island.

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 27 Jan 08

Featuring young bloggers
who visited Changi and learnt how to blog about their trip. See these heart-warming accounts of our shores on my father's blog and 10 dollar coin blog and amateur blog and dragon jeff blog and nautilus blog and shark sea blog

Even the young ones know the importance of threats to our shores: at-at-walker blog and kid shark blog

Leave an encouraging comment for the young bloggers, it will keep them going! as suggested by the leafmonkey blog

Changi night life
big people also visit the shore on the nature scouters blog and tidechaser blog

Spotted wood owl mobbed in Toa Payoh
on the bird ecology blog

Malay viscount
life cycle of a beauty on the butterflies of singapore blog

Studied to death
Great Apes threatened by the common illnesses of tourists and scientists on the journal watch online blog

Long-necked weevil
on the budak blog

Read more!

Chikungunya hard to wipe out in Singapore: Khaw

Jamie Ee Wen Wei, Straits Times 27 Jan 08;

THE Health Minister is not holding out much hope that the chikungunya virus will be stamped out here as he announced an 11th victim yesterday.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan said he had been keeping his fingers crossed that the mosquito-borne disease would not surface here.

But it was 'a matter of time'' before it arrived, given that it had taken root in neighbouring countries, he said. Thousands of people in Sumatra, Indonesia were infected with the virus last month, while Malaysia was hit with an outbreak in Perak two years ago. Thirty villagers were infected then.

Patient No. 11 is a Singaporean who lives in MacPherson but works in Little India.

The speculation is that he caught the disease while waiting for a bus in Little India, outside of the Clive Street cluster, which was where the first 10 patients lived and worked, indicating that the transmission area could have spread.

Environment and health officers are combing the area within a 150m radius of the bus-stop, and taking blood samples from those living there.

Close to 1,800 people have been screened for the virus, since the first case surfaced in Clive Street two weeks ago.

Last week, the National Environment Agency extended its operations beyond Clive Street, to the area bounded by Rochor Road, Race Course Road, Lavender Street and Jalan Besar. Officers destroyed 63 mosquito breeding grounds.

To combat transmission, patients who still have the virus circulating in their blood have been isolated in the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC).

Hospitalisation is meant to shield them from being bitten again by mosquitoes that will become new agents of the virus and spread it further.

On Monday, the Health Ministry appointed the CDC's clinical director, Associate Professor Leo Yee Sin, as a Health Officer.

This grants her the legal powers to quarantine anyone suspected to be infected with chikungunya, to search any premises where an outbreak is suspected, and to seize samples of any substances for tests without a warrant.

A rare form of viral fever, chikungunya is spread by the Aedes mosquito. The name 'chikungunya' comes from Africa's Swahili language and refers to a stooped posture developed as a result of arthritic symptoms of the disease.

Its symptoms include fever, joint pains and a rash. It is rarely fatal.

Efforts notwithstanding, Mr Khaw told reporters at the launch of the $19m Woodlands Waterfront yesterday that he was not optimistic about the chances of eradicating the virus.

One indication of success: if there were no new cases for 20 days after the last infection.

Both dengue and chikungunya are carried by the Aedes mosquito, he noted, which meant that the best defence is keeping the environment clean and getting rid of mosquito breeding grounds.

'So please don't keep mosquitoes as your pets, just remove them...we cannot eliminate it but I think we can minimise the problem,' he said.

Free virus test in affected area, but not all are keen
Mavis Toh, Straits Times 27 Jan 08;

1,795 people in Clive Street area checked so far; NEA has widened area of coverage

WHEN health experts said he was in a risk zone for an infectious disease, Mr Syed Hussain did not need much convincing to take 30 minutes off work for a blood test.

National Environment Agency (NEA) officers visited Mr Syed, 35, in his Campbell Lane CD shop on Thursday and told him that he may have been exposed to the chikungunya virus.

They advised him to get the test done at a booth in Tekka Mall the next day.

'It's better to go for the check to play safe and it's free,' he said.

While some, like Mr Syed, took the agency's advice, others weren't so keen.

Gold-shop owner K.S. Oh, 42, felt the test was not necessary because he keeps his shop clean. 'I haven't been bitten; my shop is very clean,' he said. 'Besides, we're busy; there's no time to go down.'

His four employees all skipped the blood test.

The tests are not compulsory but 1,795 people in the Clive Street area have been checked so far.

It reflects the increased level of concern about the virus, which has symptoms similar to dengue - including joint pains, fever, chills, nausea and vomiting. It is also spread by the Aedes mosquito.

The first 10 victims were all linked to the Clive Street area. But the 11th victim, a Singaporean who was identified late last week, lives in the MacPherson area. His workplace is opposite the old KK Hospital and he is suspected to have contracted the virus while waiting at a bus stop in the area.

NEA has extended tests to people living or working beyond the Clive Street precinct.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said yesterday that a 150m radius had been drawn from the bus stop and people in the area will be tested.

At press time, neither the NEA nor the Health Ministry could tell The Sunday Times the location of the bus stop.

The NEA also said that the rain gutters of more than half of the buildings along Clive Street and in the vicinity will be removed.

These would be gutters which are in a poor condition or are on buildings where the owners show clear signs of being unable to maintain the premises properly.

Gutters can collect rain water and become prime breeding sites for the Aedes mosquito.

Owners who do not comply with removal orders could face fines of up to $20,000 or three months in jail.

Madam Y.A. Tan, 73, a shophouse owner in Clive Street, has been told to remove her gutters by Chinese New Year next month.

'It's so troublesome; I must pay for a contractor to remove it,' she said. 'If my neighbours remove, I will. If they don't, I won't either.'

NEA working with more government agencies to control Chikungunya virus
Channel NewsAsia 27 Jan 08;

SINGAPORE : The National Environment Agency (NEA) is working with more government agencies to prevent the Chikungunya virus from spreading.

NEA officers are clearing up Little India as fast as possible, says Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.

This will make it easier for PUB to flush the drains to prevent stagnant water - ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes.

Dr Yaacob says the Land Transport Authority and Urban Redevelopment Authority are also involved.

Nearly 1,800 people in the Clive Street area have volunteered for free Chikungunya virus tests.

But Dr Yaacob says compulsory health checks in affected areas are not necessary at the moment.

He says: "It is not an epidemic yet. It's not like SARS. Let's be candid. We will consider all options depending on development of the matter. We have not put everything aside, everything is on the table, we think things can be controlled at this point in time." - CNA/ch

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Corals: facing the death sentence

IUCN website 24 Jan 08;

The future for corals does not look bright. That’s the message from the first in-depth analysis of 2005’s widespread coral bleaching in the Caribbean

Gland, Switzerland, 24 January, 2008 (IUCN) – Exceptionally warm water temperatures, combined with the effects of hurricanes, devastated a huge number of coral reefs in the Caribbean in 2005.

In a report launched today outlining the damage caused, scientists warn that the same thing will undoubtedly reoccur, with catastrophic effects.

“Sadly for coral reefs, it’s highly likely extreme warming will happen again,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Head of IUCN’s Global Marine Programme. “When it does, the impacts will be even more severe. If we don’t do something about climate change, the reefs won’t be with us for much longer.”

Among the worst hit regions of the Caribbean was the area stretching from Florida through to the French West Indies and the Cayman Islands, where in August 2005 severe bleaching affected between 50% and 95% of coral colonies and killed more than half, particularly in the Lesser Antilles.

The report warns that the only way for corals on reefs around the world to survive is to manage direct pressures, such as fishing and pollution, then hope that some coral species are able to adapt to a warmer environment.

Not only are coral reefs a vital part of the marine ecosystem, they also bring in huge amounts of money. Caribbean coral reefs provide an estimated US$3.1 billion to $4.6 billion per year from fisheries, dive tourism and shoreline protection services.

“This is a pivotal moment for coral reefs,” say the report’s authors Clive Wilkinson and David Souter. “A dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the next 20 years will be critical to control further warming and dangerously high CO2 levels that will reduce the robustness of corals.”

The report marks the beginning of the International Year of the Reef 2008, a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the value of coral reefs and the threats they face. It also aims to motivate people to take action to protect them.

LINKS

Status of Caribbean Coral Reefs after Bleaching and Hurricanes in 2005 www.iucn.org/en/news/archive/2008/01/22_caribbean_corals.pdf

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Reef damage will cost Maui firm $550,000

Christie Wilson, The Honolulu Advertiser 26 Jan 08;

Board members noted the coral damage played out over a week's time, with one bad decision following another.

The Board of Land and Natural Resources yesterday levied $550,000 in fines against a Maui tour boat company for damaging coral in the pristine waters of Molokini.

The administrative fine against Maui Snorkel Charters, which does business as Maui Dive Shop, is the largest ever issued by the state in a case involving coral damage within a marine life conservation district, said Dan Polhemus, administrator of the state Division of Aquatic Resources.

The board also suspended the company's Molokini commercial use permit for its Kai Anela tour boat, with the term of suspension to be determined. The permit has an estimated yearly net value of $687,000, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The decision does not affect Maui Snorkel Charters' permits to operate three other vessels in the Molokini conservation district, Polhemus said.

The Advertiser was unable to reach company officials yesterday for comment.

Polhemus said Maui Snorkel Charters co-owner Jeffrey Strahn appeared before the BLNR yesterday, expressing "true remorse" and "a sincere apology" for actions that led to the Sept. 29, 2006, sinking of the 32-foot Kai Anela and subsequent salvage efforts that killed or injured 661 to 871 coral colonies over a total area of 2,067 square feet.

Several other Molokini tour boat operators testified on behalf of Maui Snorkel Charters, pointing to the company's 30-year history of responsible operations. Referring to the sudden sinking of the Kai Anela after one of its bow lines became tangled in an engine, Polhemus said the operators told the board that sometimes bad things happen at sea in a manner in which there's little time to react.

But Polhemus said board members noted the coral damage played out over a week's time, with one bad decision following another.

The company's mechanic on shore had ignored the Kai Anela captain's plea for a tow after the vessel was floundering. Life preservers were not made available to the 15 people aboard the tour boat before they had to jump into choppy seas dangerously close to Molokini crater, according to a DLNR report.

After sinking below the surface, the Kai Anela was partially suspended in the ocean, and DLNR investigators believe someone from the company, without guidance, put a hole in the hull to bring it to rest on the ocean floor, where it impacted coral beds.

Two days later the vessel was dragged away from the crater in a salvage effort, resulting in further coral damage, the DLNR said. When floatation devices slipped out of place, the boat sank a second time, causing even more damage to corals.

On Oct. 6, 2006, the vessel was floated and towed to the Kihei Boat Harbor. The vessel was repaired and is back in service.

Division of Aquatic Resources staff had recommended $672,618 in fines and revoking the company's commercial use permit.

Polhemus called Molokini "one of our crown jewels" and said yesterday's board action shouldn't be considered "a judgment against a company but a decision in favor of our reefs."

He said the fines will be put into a fund to benefit the Molokini Marine Life Conservation District. Negotiations are under way to allow Maui Snorkel Charters to pay the fines in installments, Polhemus said.

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Cotonou - a city slowly swallowed by waves

Independent Online 25 Jan 08;

Cotonou - Gilbert Adikpeto remembers the night he lost much of his shorefront home, literally washed away by the sea.

"We were asleep with the children when there was a deafening noise from the living room. I got up in a panic and the whole room had disappeared under the waves," said the 62-year-old retired railway worker, still in shock two months later.

Adikpeto's story could become all too common, experts warn.

Huge breakers constantly battering Benin's coast - and the rest of the shoreline on the Gulf of Guinea - are starting to take their toll. Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Nigeria are also fighting to stop the sea from gulping up chunks of land.

In tiny Benin, the erosion on its narrow stretch of coastline was first recorded a century ago.

The phenomenon has been exacerbated by the rise in seawater levels, attributed to global warming, and by massive construction projects such as the Nangbeto dam in Benin and the Akossombo dam in Ghana, as well as the development of deep-water ports at Cotonou and Lome, according to experts.

"The coastline to the east of Cotonou has moved back 400 metres in 40 years, that is an average of 10 metres a year," said Paul Houssou who heads up an anti-erosion project for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Worldwide, seawater levels are estimated to have risen between 10 and 20 centimetres in the past 100 years and that trend is speeding up.

A study by Columbia University showed that sea water levels on the West African coast could rise by more than 50 centimetres between now and the end of the century.

For its part, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former US vice president Al Gore - noted that rising sea levels along the Gulf of Guinea could cost its rim countries almost 14 percent of their gross domestic product.

By contrast, preventive measures adopted by the same countries would only cost between five and 10 percent of their GDP, the IPCC said.

A number of other studies have underscored just how quickly most of Cotonou, Benin's commercial capital, could disappear under the waves.

One by the French firm SOGREAH-Laboratoire DEFT said: "If nothing is done before 2025, the coastline will lie 950 metres farther inland than it did in 1963."

Hardest hit would be the section of Cotonou known as Les Ambassadeurs, which the French study said would be swallowed up completely, as would the road that links the administrative capital Porto Novo to Lagos in Nigeria. Other districts of Cotonou could follow pretty quickly, it warned.

But it was only in September that the government banned local construction companies from pumping sand from the seacoast and told them to use sand from rivers instead.

Benin's next big plan is to build dikes to protect its 125-kilometre coastline. The €50-million project financed partially by the World Bank is set to start in first half 2008.

"Our first goal, stopping the extraction of sea sand, has been achieved. We are now going to build dikes in two directions starting from Cotonou channel: towards the Togolese border and towards the Nigerian border," Urban Planning Minister Francois Noudegbessi told AFP.

UNEP experts, however, said that only a full regional dike would be beneficial, stretching at least along the five countries from Ivory Coast east to Nigeria.

Dikes constructed piecemeal country-by-country would run the risk of exacerbating the problem of erosion, UNEP environmentalist Jacques Houngbonou told AFP.

"Contrary to what our leaders think, any dike construction has to be done on a regional level so that no chunk of the coastline gets left out," he warned. "Otherwise, later we're going to see parts of the coastline reinforced and more marked erosion in the other parts."

The dike project is seen as too little too late for Cotonou families like the Adikpetos who have already been forced to move.

"When I finished building my house in 1987, the sea was 250 metres away and there were four rows of houses in front of mine. Now they're all under water," Adikpeto said.

And it is not only private homes at risk. Cotonou's Palm Beach hotel, once the "in" place to gather for drinks, is now three-quarters swallowed by the sea.

Despite the danger, some seafront residents do not want to move.

In the Cotonou district of Donaten, fishing boats come back each sunset weighed down with their catch but with increasing trouble getting past the tidal bore.

"The sea is chasing us away, but it's also our source of food so we try to stay close to it, despite everything," said a fisherman named Barnabe as he pulled his boat up on the sand.

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