Coral reefs threatened

Coral reefs threatened

AMBON, Maluku: Experts have called for action to protect coral
reefs in Ambon Bay, a popular tourist destination, currently
under threat from the increasing industrial waste.

"The immediate threat comes from the presence of a dockyard
built along the coast of Silale village in the Nusaniwe
subdistrict," said Heryanto, a mangrove forest and mollusk
researcher at the Ambon-based Center for Oceanic Research and
Development.

He told Antara Friday the waters in Ambon Bay have been used
by the local people as a major waterway as well as a source of
food. Industrial and household wastes are dumped in the bay,
badly affecting the various marine biota found in the area and
destroying the coral reefs, fish and plankton.

The situation has been worsened by industrial developers' land
clearing activities, according to Fredy Leatemia, another
researcher at the center.

"We are concerned about the condition of the bay as peoples'
industrial activities destroy the life and beauty of the coral
reefs in Ambon Bay," he said. "The local administration should
soon take action." (swe)