Bombing, cyanide destroy coral reefs

JAKARTA (JP): Fish bombing and cyanide are to blame for the widespread destruction of coral reefs in Indonesia, researchers said yesterday.

Graham Usher of the World Wide Fund for Nature Indonesia Program and Suharsono of the National Institute of Sciences, said it would take 20 years for the coral reefs to grow again to the size they were before they were destroyed.

Usher said the low awareness on the part of the public, the government and other related parties about the importance of coral reef conservation has also contributed to the destruction of the vital natural resource.

He was quoted by Antara as saying that up to 75 percent of Indonesia's coral reefs have been damaged. Indonesia boasts 400 of the world's 700 coral species.

Usher said coral reefs were also destroyed by sea traffic and exploitation of reefs to sell home decorations.

"There is no coral reef management here, except in the marine national parks which cover only a small area compared to the vast Indonesian seas," Usher was quoted as saying.

He said few people knew that coral reefs had big economic potential, especially as tourist attractions and for fishing.

Suharsono said regulations were needed to protect coral reefs, especially from those who plundered them to sell the coral.

"Here we definitely need to create alternative employment for those people," Suharsono said.

He said that law enforcement was vital in the preservation of coral reefs.

"We actually have laws that protect our water, but its implementation in the field is still very poor." (aan)