Letter: Coral reef management

I refer to an article titled "Six countries draft protocol on coral reef management," (The Jakarta Post, Sept. 5, p. 2).

Over 60 percent of the coral reefs in Indonesia are already in critical condition. The culprits are not coral bleaching and global warming, but overfishing, bomb fishing, hypersedimentation caused by soil erosion, embankment, dredging, tailings from ore mining and urban pollution.

Monitoring coral bleaching is simply an insufficient if not inadequate measure to prevent the continuing degradation of coral reef ecosystems in Indonesia.

What is needed is strong political will to stop deforestation (to preserve soils from erosion), outlaw submarine tailing disposal, treat sewage, regulate fishing, protect mangroves (they act as natural filters and retention areas for fine sediments and organic matter), set up an ambitious network of no-fishing areas and enforce protection measures.

Local fishing communities should be fully involved in the protection measures. Destructive practices such as bomb fishing should effectively be halted. Bottom trawling should be banned, as it mostly occurs on soft-bottom areas with scattered coral colonies.

Otherwise the coral reef "biodiversity triangle" will soon become a true "desolation triangle". It is time to act, not talk.

PHILIPPE BORSA
Noumea, New Caledonia