Februay 10, - Week 6
1997 International Year of the Reef
From February 16 to 20, 1997, coral reef experts and representatives from countries of Southeast Asia and East Asia and international organizations will meet in Okinawa, Japan, to develop a regional program for the conservation and sustainable use of the world’s most diverse coral reefs. With the support of Japan, which is hosting the meeting, experts from governments, institutions and non-governmental organizations will be developing a program of action to address: the coastal management needs to protect and conserve coral reefs, the building of research and monitoring capacity, and mechanisms for coordinating, monitoring and evaluating coral reefs and reef conservation activities in the region.
More than 30% of the world’s coral reefs are found in the area extending from Indonesia to the southern islands of Japan, with most of them in Southeast Asia. The area contains the global center of biodiversity for coral reefs and associated mangrove and seagrass ecosystems, with more than 70 genera of hard coral and more than 2,000 reef associated fish recorded in the "epi-center" of diversity of eastern Indonesia and the southern Philippines. In addition, unique coral reefs are found in other parts of the region, such as the Shiraho "blue reef" in Okinawa where the meeting will be held. The reefs of this region provide some of the most spectacular coral reef diving in the world, but, more important, they directly and indirectly provide the basis for a significant social, economic and ecological support system. The area’s reefs provide important nursery, breeding and harvesting grounds for important commercial and subsistence species of marine life, e.g. reef fish, sea cucumbers, reef fish, giant clams etc., with reef fish providing as much as 40% of the fisheries catch in parts of some countries.
The extensive coastline of the region is the home of over 60% of the area’s rapidly expanding population and reefs are increasingly under pressure mainly from land-based sources of pollution, together with over-harvesting or reef resources and direct physical damage. Inappropriate coastal development have resulted in excess run-off which creates major reductions in the salinity, major new sediment discharge and heavy nutrient loading in coastal waters - all with deadly effects on corals. In Jakarta Bay, chronic sediment pollution and eutrophication has caused average coral cover to diminish from 30% to 5% between 1985 and 1995.
The impacts to coral reefs in this region are widespread and are reaching catastrophic proportions. In the Philippines, about 70% of the coral reefs have been seriously degraded and only about 5% are thought to be in good condition. The socio-economic and ecological consequences of this habitat destruction and degradation will be extremely severe especially for the developing countries of the region.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE CORAL REEF OR THIS SUBJECT, PLEASE CONTACT MATT STOUT AT:
202-482-6090 OR BY E-MAIL AT:
coralreef@www.rdc.noaa.gov
OR CHECK-OUT THE NOAA CORAL REEF WEBSITES AT:
NOAA's Coral Reef Home Page
Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP)
BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS
East Asian Seas Regional Report on the Issues and Activities Associated with Coral Reefs and Related Ecosystems. UNEP Regional Coordinating Unit for East Asian Seas Action Plan. Veron, J.E.N. 1992. Conservation of biodivesity: A critical time for the hermatypic corals of Japan. Coral Reefs 11:13-21.
SOUTHEAST ASIA AND EAST ASIA CONTACTS
Dr Edgardo Gomez
Director
Marine Science Institute
University of the Philippines
UPPO Box 1 Diliman
1101 Quezon City
Philippines
Tel: 632 922 3921/920 5301
Fax: 632 924 7678
E-Mail: admin@msi.upd.edu.ph
Ms Kim-Looi Ch’ng
Program Officer
Regional Co-ordinating Unit for East Asian Seas Action Plan
UNEP
10th Floor, United Nations Building
Rajdamnern Avenue
Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: 662 288 1889/288 2084
Fax: 662 267 8008
E-Mail: chng.unescap@un.org
Professor Kiyoshi Yamazato
Department of Biology
University of the Ryukyus
Nishigahara-cho
Okinawa 903-01
Japan
Tel: 81 98 895 2221
Fax: 81 98 895 5376
Mr Suraphol Sudara
President, Association of South east Asia Marine Scientists (ASEAMS)
c/o Department of Marine Science
Science Faculty
Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: 662 218 5390 or 255 3381
Fax: 662 255 3381
NOAA's Coral Reef Home Page
