Future of Indonesia's Coral Reefs Need Joint Action Plan

Fidelis E. Satriastanti, Jakarta Globe 29 Apr 09;

Indonesia’s coral reefs are still in good shape but with global warming already making its presence felt, an intensive adaptation scheme is necessary to ensure their preservation, said a scientist on Wednesday.

“Coral reefs are like trees in the forests — if too many trees are cut down then there will be no more forests and the biodiversity nurtured in those forest will be lost forever,” said Suharsono, head of the oceanographic research center at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, or LIPI.

He said coral reefs play a major role in preserving the marine ecosystem because reef formations are where fish lay their eggs, raise their young, seek protection from predators and forage.

“Once coral reefs die, many species of fish will disappear thus robbing we humans of an important food source,” he said. “That reason alone is enough for us to fight for food security issues linked to climate change.”

He said two big threats for coral reefs were destructive fishing and coral bleaching.

“Corals are destroyed when fishermen use bombs to catch fish,” and the corals take three months to seven years to recover, he said. “Meanwhile, as global warming causes sea temperatures to rise, coral reef formations undergo a process called bleaching, where high acidity turns the coral white, leading to its death.”

He said indications at the moment showed that Indonesia’s coral reefs were still absorbing carbon instead of releasing it because of their good condition.

Meanwhile, Rili Djohani, Indonesian director of The Nature Conservancy, an environmental conservation group, said the expectations lie in the upcoming declaration on coral reefs in Manado.

Indonesia together with Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and the Solomon Islands — also known as CT6 — will sign a declaration outlining an agreed combined approach on coral reefs, fisheries and food security at the Coral Triangle Initiative Summit, to be held in Manado, the provincial capital of North Sulawesi, on May 15.

The CTI is an Indonesian initiative introduced by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the APEC leaders meeting in September 2007.

The so-called Coral Triangle region is home to 53 percent of the world’s coral reefs and boasts an abundant variety of sea life, with more than 600 coral species and 3,000 fish species. It is also the food source of over 15 million people in the six countries.

“We hope that this will be the first of many international agreements on conservation efforts for coral reefs,” Rili said. “Every country has their own plans to deal with the problems but the Manado commitment could become a benchmark for the countries on how to answer issues related to oceans, coastal areas and climate change.”

She said there were still various opinions on the condition of Indonesia’s coral reefs, however, and urgent action on the issue was critical.

“We have to start now to pay attention for coral reefs because if there is still no action, these coral reefs are going to be destroyed soon or later,” she said adding that huge threats for coral reefs were still coming from destructive fishing and climate change.