From: *verena puspawardani*
Rekan- rekan yang baik,
Terlampir adalah media release terkait terjadinya coral bleaching yang
telah terindikasi terjadi di area Coral Triangle.
Dari total 6 negara yang tergabung dalam inisiatif ini, Indonesia adalah
salah satu negara yang mengalami coral bleaching di banyak daerah.
Sementara saat ini, mulai Juli hingga Agustus 2010 di Indonesia,
khususnya Propinsi Maluku, tengah diselenggarakan Sal Banda 2010. Salah
dua dari berbagai kegiatan yang tercakup di dalamnya adalah:
Internasional Conference on Small Island and Coral Reef (COREMAP), 3 – 4
Agustus 2010, dan Konferensi Nasional VII Pengelolaan Sumber Daya
Pesisir, Laut dan Pulau-Pulau Kecil, 5 – 7 Agustus 2010.
Informasi terkait coral bleaching di Indonesia bisa diperoleh dengan
lebih detail dari Reef Check Indonesia melalui Direkturnya, Naneng
Setiasih (email sudah saya CC) karena telah melakukan monitoring di
beberapa tempat di Asia Tenggara.
Untuk komunitas terkait, saya sertakan Marine Buddies yang baik dalam
lingkup kelompok maupun individu melakukan workshop untuk coral check.
Demikian info ini saya sampaikan. Terima kasih atas kerja sama rekan-rekan.
Salam,
Verena Puspawardani
Campaign Coordinator Program Iklim dan Energi
WWF-Indonesia
0818 897 383/0813 982 72 690
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Media Release
Mass coral bleaching closes dive sites, threatens future of world’s
most diverse marine region - WWF
Mass coral bleaching caused by global warming is threatening the health
of the Coral Triangle, a vast marine region that is home to 76% of all
known corals in the world.
The Malaysian government recently closed portions of world-renowned
dive sties on the tropical islands of Tioman and Redang, saying they
would be off limits until October to give the fragile coral reef
ecosystems time to heal.
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, bleaching has been reported in Anilao
and Nasugbu, as well as off the cost of the western municipality of
Taytay, Palawan. The latter saw corals, which usually exhibit a green
and brown hue, temporarily turn unusual shades of pink, orange and
yellow-a precursor to complete bleaching.
Numerous other Philippine reefs are likely to have been affected as
well, exacerbated by localized outbreaks of Crown-of-Thorns Seastars.
Widespread bleaching has also been recorded in Indonesia, with areas
near Sabang, Aceh, Padang, Thousand Island Jakarta, Bali, and many other
locations.
“This widespread bleaching is alarming because it directly affects
the health of our oceans and their ability to nurture fish stocks and
other marine resources on which millions of people depend for food and
income” says Richard Leck, Climate Change Strategy Leader of the WWF
Coral Triangle Programme.
Coral bleaching is a phenomenon caused by global warming. Increased
seawater temperatures, which in some regions have grown as much as 2°C
above the long-term average maximum, can push the algae living inside
corals beyond the brink, causing reefs to eventually turn white and die.
Aside from increased sea temperatures, other causes of stress include
disease, pollution, sedimentation, cyanide fishing, changes in salinity,
and storms.
The Coral Triangle region covers the seas of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua
New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. This
nursery of the seas contains over 600 species of reef-building coral.
Since March this year, about 50 different organizations and individuals
have reported signs of coral bleaching in the Coral Triangle region. Up
to 100% bleaching on susceptible coral species have been reported, and
in some areas, severe bleaching has also affected the more resistant
species.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Coral Reef
Watch stated that the current incident is the worst of it kind since
1997-1998, which decimated 16% of the world’s coral reefs.
With many areas showing signs of mass bleaching, it has become apparent
that more weight needs to be put behind long-tern conservations
strategies, such as marine protected area management, preventing coastal
and marine pollution, as well as promoting sustainable fisheries.
“Well-designed and appropriately-managed networks of marine protected
areas and locally managed marine areas are essential to enhance
resilience against climate change, and prevent further loss of
biodiversity, including fisheries collapse” Leck also added.
Through new sustainable finance mechanisms and investments in climate
adaptation, WWF plans to support networks of marine sanctuaries and
locally managed conservation areas across the Coral Triangle.
Better fisheries management is also key to alleviating the impacts of
coral bleaching, ensuring that only viable sites are given access to
fishing and that the more sensitive ones are given time to recuperate
via strong regulations, enforcement and awareness.
In Malaysia, for instance, WWF is promoting the conservation of
herbivorous reef fish, which plays a critical role of keeping algae
populations lower, allowing room for coral recruits to settle on the
potentially newly-dead coral skeletons.
Only a year ago, WWF launched The Coral Triangle and Climate Change:
Ecosystems, People and Societies at Risk, a report based on a thorough
consideration of the climate biology, economics and social
characteristics of the region, showing how unchecked climate change will
ultimately undermine and destroy ecosystems and livelihoods in the Coral
Triangle.
ENDS
-----------------
Editors note:
1. The Coral Triangle-the nursery of the seas-is the most diverse marine
region on the planet, matched in its importance to life on Earth only by
the Amazon rainforest and the Congo basin. Defined by marine areas
containing more than 500 species of reef-building coral, it covers
around 6 million square kilometres of ocean across six countries in the
Indo-Pacific - Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines,
Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.
2. It is home to 3,000 species of reef fish and commercially-valuable
species such as tuna, whales, dolphins, rays, sharks, and 6 of the 7
known species of marine turtles.
3. The Coral Triangle also directly sustains the lives of more than 120
million people and contains key spawning and nursery grounds for tuna,
while healthy reef and coastal systems underpin a growing tourism
sector. WWF is working with other NGOs, multilateral agencies and
governments around the world to support conservation efforts in the
Coral Triangle for the benefit of all.
For information on Coral Triangle go to: www.panda.org/coraltriangle
<http://www.panda.org/coraltriangle>
To download the Coral Triangle and Climate Change report go to:
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/the_coral_triangle_and_climate_change_summary_document_1.pdf
For further information:
Paolo Mangahas, WWF Coral Triangle Programme Communications Manager,
Email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>, Tel: +60 3
7803 3772, Mobile: +60136730413
Richard Leck, WWF Coral Triangle Programme Climate Change Strategy
Leader, Email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>, Mobile
+61439814847
--
Verena Puspawardani
Campaign Coordinator, Climate & Energy Program, WWF-Indonesia
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
www.wwf.or.id/climate <http://www.wwf.or.id/climate>
"If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm,
you'll never enjoy the sunshine."
Morris West (1916 - 1999), writer
