Protection
and restoration
Inhabitants of Ahus
Island, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea,
have followed a generations-old practice
of restricting fishing in six areas
of their reef lagoon. While line fishing
is permitted, net and spear fishing
are restricted based on cultural traditions.
The result is that both the biomass
and individual fish sizes are significantly
larger in these areas than in places
where fishing is completely unrestricted
(Cinner et al. 2005).
It is estimated
that about 60% of the world’s
reefs are at risk due to destructive,
human-related activities. The threat
to the health of reefs is particularly
strong in Southeast Asia, where an enormous
80% of reefs are considered endangered.
Marine Protected
Areas
One method of coastal reef management
that has become increasingly prominent
is the implementation of Marine Protected
Areas (MPAs). MPAs have been introduced
in Southeast Asia and elsewhere around
the world to attempt to promote responsible
fishery management and habitat protection.
Much like the designation of national
parks and wild life refuges, potentially
damaging extraction activities are prohibited.
The objectives of MPAs are both social
and biological, including restoration
of coral reefs, aesthetic maintenance,
increased and protected biodiversity,
and economic benefits. Conflicts surrounding
MPAs involve lack of participation,
clashing views and perceptions of effectiveness,
and funding.
Indonesia currently
has nine MPAs, claiming a total 41,129
square kilometres of coastal waters
are to be under protection.[citation
needed] A study done on one of the more
recently established MPAs in Indonesia
showed the need for co-management when
it comes to the success of managing
MPAs. This collaborative approach emphasizes
the cooperation and partnership between
parties at the national, provincial,
and local community level.
The coral reefs
in the Philippines and Indonesia are
disappearing rapidly due to dynamite
and cyanide fishing. Between 1966 and
1986 the productivity of coral reefs
in the Philippines dropped by one-third
as the national population doubled (State
of the Reefs).[citation needed] In Indonesia
as well, over eighty percent of the
coral reefs are under threat (The Jakarta
Post). These two locations are home
to the world's most diverse range of
corals. If the rate of destruction does
not diminish, seventy percent of all
the world's coral reefs will be gone
in the next twenty-five to forty years
(the Philippines). However, due to strong
protests from environmentalists around
the world, the governments of the Philippines
and Indonesia have now placed strict
fishing laws around coral reefs. People
are no longer allowed to even sail within
15 kilometers of the coral reefs. Also,
due to the extensive research of marine
biologists, they have figured out a
way to repair and preserve the remaining
coral reefs and grow new ones. It is
estimated that by 2009, the number of
coral reefs will be maintained and even
grow by 10 percent.
Reef Restoration
Technology
Low voltage electrical currents applied
through seawater crystallizes dissolved
minerals onto steel structures. The
resultant white limestone is the same
limestone that makes up natural coral
reefs. Corals rapidly colonize and grow
at extremely fast rates onto these coated
structures. The change in the environment
produced by electrical currents also
accelerates formation and growth of
both chemical limestone rock and the
skeletons of corals and other shell-bearing
organisms.
Mineral accretion coral
reefs are currently being operated in:
Indonesia - Bali, Jamaica, Maldives
- Ihuru and Vabbinfaru, Mexico - Yucatan,
Panama - San Blas Islands, Papua New
Guinea, Saya de Malha, Seychelles, Thailand
- Phuket.
