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By Tui Marseu Department of Information Rapid modernization, industrialization and climate change are threatening one of the world’s most fragile ecosystems. Coral reefs have sustained the marine ecology and millions of people that rely on the sea since time immemorial. Recognising its ever-important function, many people have engaged in environmentally friendly initiatives hoping that their efforts will help protect this natural resource. However, these efforts are overwhelmed by other developments so much so that this relationship with the reefs is literally sinking to the ocean’s depths. In the following excerpt, the Fisheries Department describes how Fiji stands to suffer from the loss of this resource. Coral reefs play a vital role in sustaining many communities throughout the country. The reefs are home to countless marine species. Their robust yet fragile ecosystems also provide protection for coastlines. Marine resources are also being exported thus contributing immensely to our much-needed foreign reserves.
However, changes brought about by industrialization are beginning to take its toll especially on coral reefs that surround the urban centres. Aisake Batibasaga, Principal Research Officer with the Department of Fisheries, says coastal-zone mismanagement and deforestation are increasingly becoming a major concern for the Department. “Many developers reclaim the shorelines without thinking of the cost to the environment. They reclaim mangrove and other coastal areas with plans to turn them into industrial zones, for tourism-related purposes, or for other use. Still others practice poor logging and agricultural techniques thus contributing to deforestation and soil erosion. “Some of these developments are for short-term economic gain and they are done at the expense of the long-term sustainability of our natural resources like forests, mangroves, rivers and reefs. In the end, we will all lose out because these resources are interconnected and interdependent. Damage one and you destroy the others,” he says. Batibasaga says recent data collected by the department show that reefs in isolated Maritime Provinces such as Lau and Lomaiviti have a thriving ecosystem and the department is trying to preserve this through its advocacy programme. “However, the same cannot be said of reefs surrounding major towns and cities,” he says. The World Bank and other institutions including those from Australia and New Zealand have made numerous assessments on Fiji’s marine ecosystem and they report that Fiji is experiencing a bio-diversity crisis. “We are not managing or protecting our natural resources well. Most of our development activities are rapidly destroying our marine ecosystem and if we continue on the same path, we will lose our coral reefs within the next thirty years!
Batibasaga says these factors are compounded by external phenomena like global warming, ozone depletion and the rise in sea temperature. “We are heating up the world and one of the first things that would go are the coral reefs. We are all linked to this web of life and if they are destroyed then our well being is also in danger.” He says Fiji needs a paradigm shift and that our people, especially policy-makers and developers, should help protect our limited natural resources. “If we want to protect our coral reefs then we should start from the mountains because everything is interconnected. Soil erosion and siltation caused by deforestation and foreshore reclamation end up in the sea and will eventually destroy the coral reefs and deplete our marine resources.” With 2008 dedicated as the international year of the coral reefs, the Fisheries Department together with key stakeholders including non-governmental organisations are now conducting public and media awareness programmes on the importance of the coral reefs. The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests, Joketani Cokanasiga, launched the awareness campaign on Monday 4 March. Batibasaga says the aim of the campaign is to create greater awareness on the significance of coral reefs, the threats to their sustainability and how to motivate people to take action to protect them. “We would like especially to promote the interconnectivity and interdependence of the natural resources like the forests, land, river, atmosphere, ocean, reefs and the people. We would also like to encourage people of all ages to be movers and shakers in protecting our reefs,” he says Batibasaga says this year’s theme “Protect the Reef from the Mountains to the Sea” is highly appropriate since it conceptualizes this interconnectivity and interdependence. The activities planned by the Department and key stakeholders will, among other things, help strengthen awareness about the ecological, economic, social and cultural value of coral reefs and associated ecosystems; improve understanding of the critical threats to reefs and generate both practical and innovative solutions to reduce these threats. Additionally, the awareness programmes will also help generate urgent action to develop and implement effective management strategies for conservation and sustainable use of these eco-systems. “This brings to mind a biblical phrase where which says that we were created in God’s image to be stewards over his creation. We must take concrete action to help protect and preserve our natural resources. Only then will we keep our hopes alive for future generations,” Batibasaga says. -Ends- |
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