'Coral reef damage not serious'

'Coral reef damage not serious'

JAKARTA (JP): North Jakarta Mayor Suprawito acknowledged
yesterday that there has been damage to coral reef in the Seribu
island chain, north of Jakarta, but said it was not serious.

"I regularly visit the area and have found that the damage is
not serious," Suprawito said, as quoted by Antara.

He called on those claiming to have found damage to the coral
reef to prove it scientifically.

The most recent expert finding of damage to the coral in the
Seribu islands came from JRE Harger, a UNESCO oceanologist, who
added that the condition of the coral in the islands was getting
worse.

Harger said that, last month, 27 world experts who conducted
research in the Jakarta Bay last September revealed that the
coral was suffering as a result of a number of factors.

Marine pollution, the use of chemicals for fishing, coral
theft and natural diseases were cited as the major problems
undermining the health of the coral reefs. (sur)