Coral Reefs
... almost every dive. I also witnessed scores of ‘bald spots’ where coral was destroyed by previous blasting,” said Roger Steene, an underwater reef photographer. At the other extreme, there is a danger of over-regulation by government authorities. In many respects this is exactly what has happened in Australia on the Great Barrier Reef. Bureaucracy seems to have lost touch with reality in its single-minded determination to protect the reef. Protective zoning is implemented over most of the reef, regardless of whether it is needed or not. The bureaucrats mean well and may think they are looking after the best interests of the reef, but they have gone too far. Access to many areas is limited or prohibited, or restrictions on activities such as boating, fishing, reef walking, and snorkeling is enforced. Even though our knowledge of reef biology is still infancy, it is nearly impossible for accredited scientists to obtain collection permits. “I don’t think strict law enforcement is the best way to conserve coral reefs, particularly the Great Barrier Reef, which, due to its immense size and great distance from shore, it has certain ‘built in’ protective devices. I think the real key to the reef’s future lies in educating younger generations to respect wildlife rather than exploiting it,” said Dr. Jerry Allen, a professional ichthyologist. Contrary to what many conservationists preach, it is certainly fine to touch reef animals and plants. This is part of the reef experience. The basic rule is to always leave things as you found them. Reef conservations frequently like to paint a picture of total doom and gloom. They would have one believe that the world’s coral reefs are disappearing at a rapid rate, without mentioning the possibility of recovery. Fortunately, reefs are incredibly resistant to all sorts of destructive forces, both man made and natural. Even the might of the hydrogen bomb has eventually been overcome. Bikini Atoll, site of nuclear tests several decades ago, has dramatically recovered from this devastation. Re-colonization by reef organisms can occur virtually overnight, and previously damaged coral communities can be restored within a relatively brief span of time, often fifteen to twenty years or even less. Anyone who has witnessed the spectacular mass spawning corals, which occurs annually in the Indo-Australian region, will appreciate the enormous regeneration power of coral reefs. Harmful as it is, the sort of damage inflicted by reef walkers and anchors pales to insignificance compared to lethal natural forces such as cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes. In 1990, groups of scientist were conducting a detailed study of an outer reef within the Great Barrier Reef complex. An oncoming cyclone forces them to run for shelter to the mainland. After the eye of the storm had passed 50 kilometers to the north they returned to an unbelievable scene of devastation. Areas where they had previously been 70 percent live coral were reduced by five percent. In some places, two meters of substrate had simply peeled off and vanished. Extensive damage was also recorded at depths of 40 meters. Reef systems are also self destructive through the actions of innumerable coral feeding and tedious organisms. Strangely enough, these destructive agents are vital for the continued existence of coral reefs. As explained previously, the limestone or calcium carbonate debris from dead reef animals is eventually ‘cemented’, forming a solid platform for future coral growth. Well-meaning conservationists conveniently forget that coral reefs are not permanent fixtures. Like all living things, reefs change with time, sometimes at incredibly rapid rates. They are highly susceptible to the vagaries of weather and other physical occurrences. The situation at Christmas Island and Cocos atoll, Australian territories in the northwest Indian Ocean, is a prime example. For decades these seldom-visited areas were noted for their pristine reefs with abundant coral growth. But in 1983 an El Nino episode caused a rapid worldwide warming of tropical seas by several degrees. This had disastrous effects on living corals, which survive within fairly narrow temperature range. The lagoon at Cocos was virtually transformed overnight into a foul smelling mess, resulting from the mass die off of its corals. Similar wholesale destruction was experienced on the outer fringing reef at neighboring Christmas Island. Over the ensuing months vast tracts of living coral completely disappeared. The coral dieback precipitated a whole series of environmental changes. One of the most notable was the marked increase in filamentous algal growth, which soon covered dead coral skeletons. Eventually this caused pronounced change in the fish community. Coral feeding species (for example, butterfly fishes) became rare or vanished, and were replaces by algal feeders, such as surgeonfishes. A big question mark concerns man’s role in shaping our planet’s ecology, both below and above the waves. We’ve all been exposed to the dire warning of the so-called doomsday ecologists. Global warming has more or less been established as fact, but its possible consequences are open to debate. Although scientists seem unable to offer a precise explanation, there may be a correlation between global warming and recently discovered phenomenon known as coral bleaching. Vast quantities of living coral are being destroyed through this process, especially in parts of Papua New Guinea. It is caused by the loss of nutrient giving symbiotic algae that live within the coral tissue and are largely responsible for its color. As a result, isolated coral formations or entire sections of reef are transformed to a ghostly white. Some corals mysteriously recover, but if the problem persists for more than a few weeks they eventually starve to death. Any type of reef destruction is sad to witness, but continually changing environmental conditions is one of the factors that makes the reefs so...