70% of RI coral reefs degraded: Worldwatch

70% of RI coral reefs degraded: Worldwatch

BANGKOK (DPA): Global warming and harmful fishing methods have already degraded 70 percent of Indonesia's coral reefs, with blast fishing causing about US$500,000 in damages per day to the country's natural resources, a Worldwatch report said.

"Damage from bombs and other disruptions, like sedimentation, cyanide fishing and coral mining, has severely degraded 70 percent of the nation's reefs and left only 6 percent in excellent condition," said the latest issue of World Watch, a publication of the United States based Worldwatch Institute.

Worldwatch, a non-profit research institute, estimates that by the end of 2000, some 27 percent of the world's coral reefs had been severely damaged, compared with only 10 percent in 1992.

The battle to preserve reefs, deemed an invaluable refuge and breeding ground for the world's marine species, has pitted environmentalists against people, especially in Indonesia.

"This archipelago of 17,000 islands is where the stakes are highest for ocean conservation - more people live closer to reefs here, in the fourth most populous nation on earth, than anywhere else," said the May/June issue of World Watch.

The article pinpointed the practice of blast fishing, in which fishermen drop homemade bottle bombs on schools of fish to maximize their catches, as one of the most damaging practices for coral reefs, which rarely recover from such blasts.

The institute commended Indonesia's pilot project in Kamodo National Park to organize reef patrols to prevent blast fishing, which have reportedly reduced the practice by 80 percent since it began in 1996.

While blast fishing is taking its toll in Indonesia, World Watch has identified "global warning" as the most serious threat to the world's reefs.

"If the warming continues, scientists predict that as many as 60 percent of all reefs could be lost by 2030." said World Watch.