ADB lends RI US$33m to repair coral reefs

ADB lends RI US$33m to repair coral reefs

MANILA: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is lending US$33
million to Indonesia to rehabilitate and manage its damaged coral
reefs, it was announced Saturday.

The project also expects to address the depletion of resources
and entrenched poverty in Indonesia's coastal and marine sectors
which contributes to the destruction of coral reefs, the ADB said
in a statement from its headquarters in the Philippine capital.

Coral reefs in Indonesia have been threatened by such
activities as destructive and illegal fishing, sand mining and
coral mining. About 80 percent of the population in these areas
near the coral reefs live below the poverty line, the ADB
remarked.

Additionally, there are legal and institutional constraints to
managing the coral reefs, the bank said.

The ADB hopes that by improving the capacity to manage and
rehabilitate coral reefs and their ecosystems, the project can
also raise income and living standards of residents in the area.

Coral reefs are breeding and spawning grounds for fish and
other marine creatures and their destruction has often resulted
in sharp drops in the variety and quantity of sea life. --AFP