Destruction of coral reef

Has anyone been to Carita recently and noticed that in some areas, be it high-tide or low-tide, the reef near the shore can no longer be seen? At first, I thought that maybe it was only at high-tide that it was covered, which is perfectly normal.

However I noticed that it was completely submerged at low-tide as well, which is abnormal, because coastal coral reefs need air and sunlight to survive. Looking further up the coast, I understood what had happened--workers were digging up the coral in huge chunks to be used as building materials for the new luxury resorts in the Carita Bay area.

The sad thing is that this is not a case of poor fishermen destroying the natural habitat in the name of survival; rather it is one of the greed of wealthy developers who intend to minimize their expenditure, whatever the cost to the environment and ultimately, to the local population.

When the reef has been completely destroyed (which is inevitable, unless such wanton destruction is halted immediately), it is not the developers, living it up in their mansions miles away, who will be wondering where all the fish have gone, but the locals, who need it to survive. A dead coral reef means less plants, therefore less fish, therefore less food.

The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), in its 1994 annual report, states: "By the year 2000, two-thirds of the world's population could be living in coastal areas. As coastal populations grow, development activities increase, often destroying habitat and reducing the sea's productivity....Oceans and coasts, which help to regulate climate and the water cycle, as well as providing food and other products, are undergoing rapid degradation. Insensitive development, overfishing and pollution have led to the biological collapse of an increasing number of marine areas....The need to deal with the situation holistically is critical."

The solutions proposed by the WWF aim to involve governments, interested groups and local people in the decision-making process by implementing "integral coastal management, an approach that takes into account the needs and concerns of all the communities who use, or affect, the coastal environment."

Although the above solutions must be implemented at government level, we, the 'men-and women-in-the-street,' can do our part by making our voices heard and condemning the destruction of the Carita reef. Have the developers forgotten the lesson of Candi Dasa in Bali? There too, the reef was destroyed for exactly the same purposes. There is now no beach, a dead reef, very few fish, and many empty hotel rooms.

MARY STEWART

Jakarta