Indonesian people told to help save coral reefs

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)