Indonesian people told to help save coral reefs

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): The 9th International Symposium on Coral Reefs began on Monday with a call to save the nation's 85,000 square kilometers of coral reefs of which 70 percent are already badly damaged.

"Indonesian people are blind about marine issues. We have been developing the country's economy without preserving the environment. That's why our main target is building people's awareness," Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sarwono Kusumaatmadja told The Jakarta Post after the opening of the conference.

In his address, Sarwono revealed that the economic losses caused by fishing and reef degradation are estimated at some US$410,000 per square kilometer per year or potentially about US$34 billion per year.

"In a bid to cope with the problem, we will develop a community-based approach in which locals protect their seas, shores and habitats," Sarwono said.

This year the theme of the International Coral Reef Symposium is "World Coral Reefs in the New Millennium: Bridging Research and Management for Sustainable Development".

State Minister of the Environment Sonny Keraf, chairman Anugerah Nontji, and Terry Done of the International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS) also addressed the opening day of the conference.

The weeklong conference, organized by the ISRS, the State Ministry of the Environment and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) is being attended by around 1,500 scientists from 52 countries who will present some 1,400 papers on topics such as the global state of coral reefs, the link between global climate change and mass coral reef bleaching, and new insights on mystery diseases killing reefs all over the world.

"Most coral reefs in the western part of the country, such as Java and the Riau islands, have been destroyed. These areas have seen a massive increase in industrial, agricultural and household activities. The reefs in the eastern part, however, are in a far better condition," Sarwono said.

The management of coral reefs also comes under the authority of the Ministry of Trade and Industry as well as the Ministry of Forestry, he said.

"That is why we urge the setting up of special coral reef quarantine zones to be managed by the office of the State Ministry of the Environment so as to avoid overexploitation by marine industries," he explained.

Sarwono further said that other priorities included the issue of global climate changes due to the practice of overindustrialization and the greenhouse effect which creates global warming.

The phenomenon of global warming is also threatening coral reefs.

"Coral reefs can only survive at around 26 degrees Celcius. So if the temperature drops or increases in an extreme way, sea life will perish."

Culture

Earlier on Sunday during a discussion with indigenous group leaders here, Minister Sarwono warned that the only weapon to defend the country's natural resources during the globalization era is cultural diversity and sustainability.

"We cannot ban foreign interests' on our land, coasts or seas. People have to be creative and cherish their traditional culture to protect nature or otherwise we can only watch them grasp our resources away," he said.

"We are too rich but also too dumb to know that we're sitting on a goldmine here. We have to fight globalization on our own turf".

"The way is to adhere to our tried and trusted traditions such as not overexploiting the rain forest, because for indigenous people, the forest is sacred."

It was also revealed that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is drafting general guidelines for small island management in a bid to develop a community-based economy.

"They will be ready around the second week of December. This is also part of the effort to prepare for regional autonomy since I don't have much faith in the local bureaucrats," Sarwono remarked.

He cited how island people can gain economic benefits if they properly manage their resources.

"In Canada, the coral from reefs has been used in cosmetic surgery. In certain cases it can replace human finger bones. The price of coral is around US$150 per kilogram in the United States, but in Indonesia people sell it for only Rp 40,000 per ton. It's crazy!" he said. (edt)