(first of three parts)
By Imelda V. Abano
GREAT BARRIER REEF, Australia– Dubbed as the rainforest of the sea, the world’s coral reefs are in danger of dying out with the fast pace of the changing environment, particularly rising sea temperatures, increased ocean acidity, and more powerful cyclones coupled with unsustainable fishing practices and the destructive starfish.
Marine scientists said that coral reefs, a diverse interlinked habitat that serves as a source of food and economic sustenance to half a billion people across the globe, as well as a nursery for many marine species, are expected to deteriorate, setting in motion a series of negative consequences resulting from reduced biodiversity and shrinking sanctuaries for fish.
World’s coral reefs, from the waters of the Indian Ocean to the Caribbean, Florida, Haiti, Australia and the Philippines, are threatened if left unchecked and managed, they said.
Coral bleaching, for one, occurs predominantly due to the warm water stirred by climatic changes, prompting algae living within coral tissues to leave, thus turning it completely white. In the same way, the process of acidification, which threatens the calcification process, would reduce the reef’s resilience to warming temperatures.
According to the Postdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, without proper management of the reef, about 70 percent of corals are projected to suffer from long-term degradation by 2030 even under an ambitious mitigation scenario. Thus, the threshold to manage and protect at least half of the coral reefs worldwide is estimated to be below 1.5 degrees Celsius mean temperature increase.
Miguel Fortes, a marine scientist from the Marine Science Institute at the University of the Philippines said that like seagrass and mangroves, coral reefs provide protection to coastal communities especially during storm surge.
“ Coral reefs also act as barriers, protecting inshore habitats and coastal communities from large waves and storm surges,” Fortes told the Philippine EnviroNews, adding that an increase in severe storms might contribute to the degradation of reefs structures already weakened by coral bleaching and ocean acidification.
The combined effects of climate change and the destructive crown-of thorns starfish (prey on the reefs) as well as the local stressors will be overwhelming on the decline of coral reef cover should government and the community fail to figure out how to protect the fragile reef, said Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) Chief John Gunn.
Climate change is already having a big impact on marine and ecosystems in the Coral Triangle specifically with the predicted intensity and frequency of cyclones due to its geographical location, Gunn said.
The Coral Triangle covers 2.3 million square miles of the Indian and Pacific Oceans and includes eastern Indonesia, parts of Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and the Philippines. It is one of the most diverse in the world containing 53 percent of the world’s coral reefs and 50 percent of all reef fish species.
On one hand, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, as scientists from the AIMS assessed, that since 1985 cyclone damage and crown-of thorns starfish both caused more than 80 percent coral loss and coral bleaching due to rise in sea temperatures by 10 percent.
The Great Barrier Reef is composed of 3,000 coral reefs, 1,050 islands, roughly the same area as Japan and covers an area of 348,400 kilometers. It is the largest reef in the world and home to more than 1,600 types of fish.
“ Over the past 27 years, we saw a dramatic reduction of the reefs in Australia by 50 percent. Ordinarily, reefs can recover for years from cyclones, bleaching or starfish attacks. We do not know how fast it is rebounding but it is a matter of doing a lot of monitoring,” Gunn told the Philippine EnviroNews. “ A lot has changed, however, in Australia in the way we manage impacts on land and we need to continue to push hard on that. But we will continue to have a reef that is under pressure because it takes quite a lot of time to get over the damage that we had over the long period of time.”
Safeguarding the Reef
Like all coral reefs around the world, the Reef is vulnerable to a range of pressures, particularly to the effects of climate change. Aside from climate change, major pressures facing the Reef are poor water quality from land-based run-off, impacts from coastal development and some remaining impacts of fishing.
Scientific evidence gathered by the AIMS over the past 30 years show human activities have contributed to a decline in water quality and ecosystem health in some parts of the Reef, particularly areas close to the coast.
Increased runoff of sediment, nutrients and chemical pollutants from the land is the greatest immediate challenge to water quality in the Reef lagoon. Layers of silt can smother inshore corals, reducing the sunlight which is essential for the growth of corals and seagrass. However, scientists pointed out that while the Reef is so complex, they do not yet fully understand the long-term impacts of this remnant sediment, nutrients and chemicals.
Other subtle stress on coral reefs involves the acidification of corals, coral diseases, chemicals used in land and marine-based activities, and poor water quality.
Building resilience, action plan
Russell Reichelt, Chief of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, said they are working with other Australian Queensland government agencies, the communities, industry and researchers to protect and manage the Reef.
“ We have released a long-term sustainability plan last month so we could ensure that it continues to be among the world’s best managed and protected World Heritage areas,” Reichelt said.
The Reef was listed as a World Heritage property in 1981. It is now under discussion whether to place it on the World Heritage Committee’s “in danger” list.
Under the plan, Reichelt said the Australian and Queensland governments have reduced in the past 18 months, five major industrial ports proposing to dump capital dredged materials to zero, as well as banning disposals in the Reef. It also halted and reversed the decline in water quality entering the Reef from agriculture wherein pesticide load has been reduced by 28 percent, sediment load by 11 percent and total nitrogen load to 10 percent, as well as dissolved inorganic nitrogen by 16 percent compared to 2009 baseline.
The Australian government, he said, has allocated more than $2 billion Australian dollars in the coming decade for research and management activities as well as established $40 million Australian dollars Reef Trust to improve water quality. An additional $100 million Australian dollars was also committed for the management of the Reef in the next five years.
“ The Reef is under pressure but we have now priority actions to address the Reef’s ecosystem health, biodiversity, heritage, water quality, community benefits, economic benefits and governance,” Reichelt said.
Secretary Gordon de Brouwer of the Australian Environment Department said that while climate change is the most serious long-term threat to the Great Barrier Reef, the Australian government has been coordinating adaptation and mitigation plans along with other countries within the United Nations.
“ The centerpiece of Australia’s domestic climate change policy is the Emissions Reduction Fund, which has a crediting and purchasing component of $2.55 billion Australian dollars and a safeguard mechanism to discourage emission increases by large facilities,” de Brouwer said.
He added that over the coming years, the Fund will support a range of projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from various sectors. Some of these projects, he said, will be in the Great Barrier Reef region, and will deliver important co-benefits to the health and resilience of the Reef.
“Australia has a mature environmental regulatory framework which has proven suitable for managing competing claims on the use of the nation’s natural assets. It is based on strong and consistent applied principles and rules,” he said. “ It is a priceless natural asset for the world. That is why we are committed to its protection.”
Queensland Minister of Environment Steven Miles stressed that the implementation of the long-term sustainability plan is a blueprint for protecting the Reef that engages with industry, science bodies and the community.
“ We now have a government that recognizes there is a problem, that the reef undergoes various challenges. This is our heritage so it is our obligation to do something about it, invest in long-term management and protection of the Reef and make it sustainable,” I do not think that the Reef is in danger now as we consistently concerned about its conservation.”
photo credit: DFAT Australia/Patrick Hamilton
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