WWF Malaysia 22 Jul 10;
Coral bleaching occurs when coral reefs are stressed. At a local scale the causes of stress may include disease, pollution, sedimentation, cyanide fishing, changes in salinity and temperature, and storms. Mass bleaching events such as the one Malaysia is currently experiencing is primarily due to increased sea temperatures. Temperature increases of 1-2ºC above the long term average maximum can already trigger mass bleaching. In severe bleaching events, the mortality rate can be quite high.
Corals can recover from bleaching events, but they must have support for factors that promote coral resiliency. Studies show that the recovery success of healthy coral systems is much higher than the degraded ones. Good water quality, high coral cover and an abundant and diverse community of herbivorous fishes are important conditions to promote coral recovery.
The closure of affected dive sites is a temporary measure to minimize further stresses to the bleached corals. However, it is important to take pre emptive measures against events like this by putting more resources into marine protected area management, preventing coastal and marine pollution and promoting sustainable fisheries. WWF-Malaysia hopes that the Malaysian Government will adopt and implement Ecosystem Based Management of Fisheries and strengthen Marine Protected Area Management and Integration.
WWF-Malaysia also hopes that the government would stand by its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in response to global efforts to minimize the impacts of climate change.
