'Coral reefs deteriorate from natural causes'

JAKARTA (JP): The quality of coral reefs around the Seribu Islands in North Jakarta has deteriorated due to natural causes and not because of pollution, an expert said.

Dr. T.M. Williams, a geochemist from the British Geological Survey, said yesterday there was no sufficient evidence to conclude that the damage was caused by pollution.

"Based on a research study conducted by the University of Newcastle, U.K. around 1990, the damage was due to natural causes such as climate," Williams said.

He said, however, it was difficult to determine the exact cause of the damage, although it seems that natural causes -- such as a change in water temperature -- have destroyed the reefs.

Last year, experts from Australia, Papua New Guinea, the U.S and Cambodia said that garbage dumped by Jakartans had polluted Jakarta Bay and destroyed coral reefs around the Seribu Islands.

The research conducted by the experts was funded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It was discovered that only 5 percent of the coral reefs were still in good condition, compared to 90 percent 10 years ago.

Williams said another factor which made it difficult to determine the cause was a lack of data. He said the latest data on coral reefs or other marine biota in Jakarta Bay and around the Seribu Islands was outdated.

"The research was conducted about 10 years ago, and it showed that the condition of marine biota in Jakarta Bay and the Seribu Islands was quite satisfactory," he said.

Williams said that for this reason, the United Kingdom Development Administration is conducting a land-ocean contamination study in Jakarta Bay and around the Seribu Islands.

He said the research, which began in June this year, is aimed at constructing a detailed picture of the sources, transport pathway and ecological impacts of contaminants entering the waters of Jakarta Bay.

"Then we can form quantitative data on marine biota, as well as form a standard pollution monitoring system," he said.

The research is also being conducted in Mexico, Brazil and East Africa. In Jakarta, it is conducted in cooperation with the National Institute of Sciences.

Dedy Setiapermana, a researcher at the institute, said that all data collected will be stored in a computer data base and can be used to form an environmental management system in the future.

He said the research also aimed at identifying the existing conflict between coastal-zone pollution and social economic activities to form programs to protect the marine biota in the area.

Williams said the researchers have completed collecting samples, such as water, from 60 locations in the Seribu Islands and Jakarta Bay. (yns)