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Two miles of Coral reefs destroyed near Jamaica
Our Port Blair Bureau
31 DEC
Overexploitation of reef resources due to destructive fishing practices, such as dynamite or cyanide fishing & trawling in deeper waters has caused direct physical damage to corals.Warm water discharges from power plants and industrial effluents also take their toll.This coastal development has given rise to many harmful effects. Algal blooms resulting from nutrient- laden sewage released nearshore blocks sunlight in the water column, stunting coral growth & interfering with reproduction.
The widespread reef losses are particularly worrisome given the critical role they play in fostering the productivity of the tropical oceans. Coral reefs are often compared with tropical rainforests in terms of their importance as habitat and the biological diversity they harbor. Some 4,000 species of fish and 800 species of reef-building coral have been described to date, but the total number of species associated with reefs is probably more than 1 million
Reefs are also an integral part of the livelihood and food supply of the human populations that live near them. It has been estimated that about one quarter of the potential fish harvests in developing countries come from coral reefs . Properly managed, reefs can yield, on average, 15 tons of fish and other seafood per square kilometer each year . Reefs yield tourist dollars as well. Caribbean countries, which attract millions of visitors annually to their beaches and reefs, derive one half of their gross national product (GNP) from the tourism industry. Reefs also provide essential services like coastal protection, buffering adjacent shorelines from erosive wave action and storm impacts.
At the national and local levels, a number of governments and communities have taken steps to protect and restore coral reefs. In general, these examples of good stewardship involve a combination of planning, management, law enforcement, environmental education, and legal protection. Approaches range from building sewage and industrial waste treatment facilities, to regulating access and use of reefs (for example, by establishing community ownership over reef fisheries), to restricting development in sensitive coastal areas.
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