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t turns out that the destruction of 18,000 square meters of pristine Raja Ampat coral reef in West Papua by a British cruise ship on March 4 is just one of many serious man-made environmental disasters in Indonesia.

While the Raja Ampat incident sparked an international outcry, similar incidents in Karimunjawa Islands, a national park and popular resort off Jepara, Central Java, on Jan. 14 and Feb. 10, received less attention although they too caused massive damage to the country’s precious coral reef.

Local environmentalists reported that hundreds of square meters of coral reef in Karimunjawa Islands were destroyed after five barges carrying coal drifted off course during a stormy day and ran into shallows.

Adding pressure to the Karimunjawa coral reef is the common practice of illegally parking barges on the shores during the stormy weather season between December and March.

Every week, around 2,000 local and foreign tourists visit the islands famous for diving. The presence of barges is not only detrimental to the vulnerable ecosystem, but also a disturbance to the holidaymakers.

“We prohibit barges from entering the national park. However, law enforcement is the responsibility of other institutions,” Karimunjawa National Park director Agus Prabowo said.

According to Alam Karimun, a local environmental organization, the illegal activity has led to the destruction of around 1,600 square meters of coral reef in the national park so far this year.

“We have reported these incidents many times but they [park authorities] rarely respond,” Alam Karimun chairman Jarhanudin said.

The loss of priceless coral reef has also occurred around Bontosua Island in Pangkajene Regency, South Sulawesi. There, the practice of “fish bombing” is the common suspect in the destruction of 50 percent of the reef since the 1970s.

A rehabilitation project is set to take place with the support of research and technology company PT Mars Cymbioscene Indonesia next month, but it will take about 100 years for the heavily damaged reefs to recover.

Noel Janetski, the company’s marine sustainability director, said rehabilitation of the coral reefs around the island would begin in April.

“We are working with Hasanuddin University on the project,” he said.

In Jakarta, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan promised to take action against the perpetrators of environmental crimes that damage coral and hurt Indonesia’s tourist sector. “Our country is vast. It’s all easier said than done. We are trying our best to protect the environment,” he said.

The British-owned MV Caledonian Sky smashed into and destroyed coral reefs in the Dampier Strait off Raja Ampat on March 4. (hol)