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Dead reefs on rise in Gulf region
Source: Agencies |
November 15, 2010, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
TWENTY years ago, divers in Dubai could swim through coral gardens teeming with brightly-colored fish and sea turtles. Today, says marine biologist Tom Goreau, dead reefs stand like gravestones for an underwater ghost town.
In the United Arab Emirates, some of the world's glitziest building projects, such as the opulent homes on one of Dubai's manmade palm-shaped islands, sit on these coral cemeteries.
"The best reefs were simply dumped on," said Goreau, who heads the US-based Global Coral Reef Alliance. "Those areas that were supposed to have been protected areas were peddled off to developers. They're gone."
Surviving reefs contend with desalination plants, necessary for supplying fresh water to the desert countries along the Gulf coast. The plants spew hot brine and chemicals into the sea, warming their surrounding waters and increasing salinity.
Twenty percent of the world's reefs are damaged beyond repair. Scientists are uncertain about what proportion of the Gulf's reefs have died. A Kuwaiti diving team recently reported that 90 percent of the coral off Kuwait's coast was dead or severely stressed.
Scientists worry pollution and construction continues at a rate that could kill Gulf reefs, which had proven resistant to rising temperatures and increased ocean salinity.
Coral reefs support a third of the Gulf's fish populations - and local economies.
"We don't protect corals just because they're beautiful," said Rita Bento, marine biologist for the Emirates Diving Association. "Corals are a source of food, fishermen go there to fish. Tourism also - places with good reefs that are protected have economic growth. We have a lot to gain from them."
The UAE is growing more aware of climate threats.
"We can't stop development," said Thabit Abdelsalaam, of the Abu Dhabi government's Environmental Agency. "But we can make sure there's a balance between development and preservation of the environment."
In the United Arab Emirates, some of the world's glitziest building projects, such as the opulent homes on one of Dubai's manmade palm-shaped islands, sit on these coral cemeteries.
"The best reefs were simply dumped on," said Goreau, who heads the US-based Global Coral Reef Alliance. "Those areas that were supposed to have been protected areas were peddled off to developers. They're gone."
Surviving reefs contend with desalination plants, necessary for supplying fresh water to the desert countries along the Gulf coast. The plants spew hot brine and chemicals into the sea, warming their surrounding waters and increasing salinity.
Twenty percent of the world's reefs are damaged beyond repair. Scientists are uncertain about what proportion of the Gulf's reefs have died. A Kuwaiti diving team recently reported that 90 percent of the coral off Kuwait's coast was dead or severely stressed.
Scientists worry pollution and construction continues at a rate that could kill Gulf reefs, which had proven resistant to rising temperatures and increased ocean salinity.
Coral reefs support a third of the Gulf's fish populations - and local economies.
"We don't protect corals just because they're beautiful," said Rita Bento, marine biologist for the Emirates Diving Association. "Corals are a source of food, fishermen go there to fish. Tourism also - places with good reefs that are protected have economic growth. We have a lot to gain from them."
The UAE is growing more aware of climate threats.
"We can't stop development," said Thabit Abdelsalaam, of the Abu Dhabi government's Environmental Agency. "But we can make sure there's a balance between development and preservation of the environment."
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