Coral reefs hurt by lack of policy

Coral reefs hurt by lack of policy

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The absence of a clear-cut policy on the management and
conservation of coral reefs has led to the destruction of a part
of the country's coral reef, an environmentalist said on
Wednesday.

Douglas Storey of the Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management
Program (Coremap) told The Jakarta Post that currently coral reef
management was in the hands of different government agencies.

Marine exploration, for example, lay within the responsibility
of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, he said,
adding that marine conservation, such as the national ocean park,
was under the authority of the Ministry of Forestry, while marine
law enforcement was in the hands of the Navy.

Speaking outside a Coremap Workshop at Santika Hotel, Jakarta,
Storey said that coral reef management should ideally be carried
out by one agency.

Coremap, which is sponsored by several foreign donors
including the World Bank, is an integrated government coral reef
conservation program that is designed to help develop people's
welfare through sustainable and friendly exploration of coral
reefs in 10 provinces.

Storey acknowledged that the complicated problems of marine
conservation had made it difficult for its management to be given
to only one agency.

"As there are many aspects to coral reef management, including
economic ones, who's going to handle the licensing for exports?
Moreover there isn't any agency capable of handling all aspects,"
Storey said.

"The solution, therefore, lies in coordination among
government agencies involved in coral reef management.

"However, this will require strong regulations, which clearly
set out the responsibility of and coordination between each
government agency," Storey said.