DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES
When it comes to demographic
factors, many will think of the physical
destruction caused by people in the
boating, fishing and tourism industries.
However, there are many indirect
impacts influencing coral conservation
apart from the visual and physical.
One of the key obstacles to coral
conservation is governance. In fact,
human stewardship of coral reefs
is greatly hindered by politics and
poor governance worldwide.CLIMATIC CHALLENGES
Climate change has proved to have a
mixed impact on coral reefs depending
on the region. In Southeast Asia,
most reefs impacted by El Niño have
recovered. However, the recovery
in the Pacific isn’t as rapid as in
Southeast Asia. During the expedition
to Fanning Island, we discovered that
99 percent of the reef at the outer rim
of the atoll is dead. There are some
signs of new coral growth, though it is
less than 0.5 percent of the lost reef
as the distribution is too sporadic for a
rapid recovery.
Thankfully, post-bleaching
devastation in most countries in
Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia
and Thailand, has been minimal.
Most reefs have recovered within one
year, with a lower loss of diversity
compared to the Pacific Islands. In
Indonesia, the reefs around Labuan
Aji, Sumbawa, have suffered terrible
devastation after the bleaching
episode in 2016, with a 99 percent
loss of diversity. Today, some new
coral recruitment has taken place,
but it is very little as compared to
what’s lost. With good management
and restoration, most reefs can be
saved, provided it is implemented
without delay.GEOGRAPHICAL CHALLENGES
The severity of coral reef destruction
differs from one location to another,
depending on the cause of damage
as well as how severe their conditions
are. Impact versus recovery also varies
in each location. Corals are rescued
by saving the broken fragments
found on the seafloor. These broken
fragments are living polyps that can be
propagated. Reefs that sustained total
loss are the hardest to rehabilitate,By: Anuar AbdullahOcean Quest and its partner, Sea Shepherd Dive, are
undertaking a global initiative to rehabilitate coral reefs
worldwide with a new technologyGlobalising
Coral Restoration
The RV Martin Sheen rocked gently
in the swell as we watched seabirds
soaring overhead. The waves were
rumbling on the shore, a phenomenon
that has been occurring over the past
few years. Climate change.
This journey to Fanning Island
was part of Ocean Quest’s efforts in
globalising coral reef rehabilitation.
What does that mean? Currently,
conservation groups worldwide are
rehabilitating the corals close to them
using localised methods and systems.While some may be successful,
many are still in the experimental
stages. Ocean Quest hopes to create
a realistic strategy for a global-scale
coral restoration. To do so, the team
is assessing and studying every
aspect of impact to coral reefs
worldwide.
Coral reef rehabilitation itself
is a complex thing. Globalising is
even more so – a daunting task
compared to all other forms of
environmental conservation.