Coral Reef Destruction Around Indonesia From Blast Fishing, Essay Example

The state of coral reefs in Indonesia currently is rapidly deteriorating. It is believed that about 80 percent of the coral reefs have been destroyed since 1920s. With about 25, 700 km­² of coral reef biodiversity, Indonesia possesses about 10 percent of the global coral reefs. This includes about 70 of the 450 coral reefs species (Sapta, 2008). Despite this ecological wealth, Indonesian coastal ecosystem has been experiencing uncontrolled destruction due to poor managed environmental sustainability. Much of the destruction is attributed to blast fishing techniques especially on the shallow leeward regions due to the low water currents and the easy free- drive that promote fish collection. This practice shatters the calcium carbonate skeleton of the polyps and thus causing destruction of the entire ecosystem. Sometimes the explosions are of huge magnitude enough to excavate large craters of 15 to 20 m² of substrate. Even after the explosions are over, the regions hardly experience renewed growth as new scleractinian polyps colonies cannot grow on dead coral ruins. This has fundamentally led to the depletion of fish stocks, destruction of coral reefs and the related mangrove and sea grass ecosystems. Much of destruction has been through coral mining, sedimentation pollution, and, blast and cyanide fishing.    However in the recent years the situation has improved due to the concerted government effort to enforce the existing conservation laws (Fox et al 2003).

The Asian Development Bank extended a $333 million grant to the government in order to organize and save the existing coral ecosystem.  Generally, the illegal fishing, rapid population increase and overfishing have been on the spot as the predisposing factors that have significantly contributed to the destruction of the coral reefs ecosystem. Through this loan, the government has been able to organize a three phase Coral reef Rehabilitation and Management Program that has restored the lost hope of recovering the reefs. The project is being organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and has a due date of up to this year (2009). A success of the program will benefit the fishing industry most.

Many countries have enacted laws aimed at curbing the destructive fishing practices that lead to coral reef degradation, but the laws and regulations are rarely enforced due to laxity and corruption of the enforcing agencies. In such situation stringent enforcement measures need to be practices as well as increased awareness of the local population and the stakeholders involved in the fishing industry through education efforts and adoption of alternative friendly fishing alternatives. Some of the management practices adopted to safeguard the coral reefs ecosystems include the new Marine Protected Areas (MPA). The MPAs provide for the mechanism for law enforcement agencies to patrol the endangered regions. Properly organized and managed fishing and tourism within the MPAs regions can go along way in boosting real economic growth and ecological sustainability (White et al, 2007).

According to White et al (2003) such well organized MPAs can lead to the earning of between 13, 000 to 113,000 US dollars for every 1 km² of land reclaimed. With the majority of fish caught ending up in hotels and restaurants. The government should enter into partnership with this industry in order to regulate the harvesting, export and import of fish in order to permit only those that are caught in ecologically sustainable methods. The government should also go a step further to implement and impose the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization Code of Conduct for responsible Fisheries which champions for the partnership and cooperation of industries, government and non governmental agencies in order to promote sustainable practices of fishing.

For effective coral reef management, the entire stake holders including the local community must unites in order to achieve an effective turnaround objective. Fishing industry operators must first reduce the high coral reefs deaths and the consequent habitant effects, and also focus on the animals’ quality and health. This should be followed by the enactment of appropriate international rules and standards (Sapta, 2008).

The government should seek to strengthen the capabilities of the local communities in taking care and managing the coral reefs and the affiliate ecosystems. These will effect localized sustainable management and conservation of the coral reefs biodiversity. This kind of program will also lower the incidents of adverse poverty in the identified communities due to the consequent effects of destruction. Interested communities can be assisted through a comprehensive support project program. Through designated agencies both in the public and private sector, the government can offer the required resources required by the identified communities to boost their sustainable management programs. The government should also extend this by offering training and demonstration inn designated “no take” zones.  On top of the no take zones, the community will be in a position to assess and monitor the relative management regime benefits. The communities will then address the coral reefs destruction through inappropriate fishing techniques, through effective enforcement and subjecting it to social sanctions. This will effectively lead to the rising costs of destructive fishing techniques and also making them to be socially unacceptable. Together with the establishment of the Marine Protection Areas (MPAs), the local communities can effectively optimize the high reef biodiversity and species.

Suggestion to the Indonesian Government Authorities

In order to encourage the conservation of the coral reefs and resources, the government should actively participate in the domestic and internal platform arena and seize the moment to highlight on these environmental impacts of the poor fishing techniques adopted on the coral reefs ecosystems. Government agencies should work in cahoots with relevant marine industry members to develop within optimum limits, responsible programs and practices as well as appropriate guidelines; define the identified destructive fishing practices and techniques. Through the relevant legislative bodies, the government should coordinate national strategies for sustainable management of the coral reefs ecosystems and effectively work with relevant international organizations and community in general in formulating the appropriate conservation criteria for sustainable management (Mangi & Roberts, 2007).

References

Fox, H.E., Pet, J.S., Dahuri, R. & Caldwell, R. (2003). Recovery in rubble fields: long-term impacts of blast fishing. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 46(8):1024-1031.

Mangi, S.C. & Roberts, C.M. (2007). Factors influencing fish catch levels on Kenya’s coral reefs. Fisheries Management and Ecology 14(4):245-253.

Sapta, P. (2008). Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Program Phase I (COREMAP II), Indonesia1 – experiences and lessons learned. Retrieved November 18, 2009, from http://www.itmems.org/itmems3/NEW%2006%20INFORMATION%20AND%20KNOWLEDGE/03%20T6%20CASE%20STUDIES/T6%20COREMAP.pdf

White, A.T., Vogt, H.P. & Arin. T. (2000). Philippine coral reefs under threat: the economic losses caused by reef destruction. Marine Pollution Bulletin 40(7):598-605.