Desy Nurhayati
Source: The Jakarta Post
August 5, 2011

"Damage to coral reefs could affect various critical aspects of human life and should not be viewed as merely a loss of marine biodiversity, an expert warned.

"Coral reef damage also greatly affects food security, income, the stability of the whole ecosystem, and could increase the threat of coastal disasters," Jensi Sartin from Bali-based Reef Check Foundation Indonesia said.

"Coral reefs support the lives of many people in various sectors. It contributes some US$1.22 million to the fishery sector and $212 million to Indonesia's marine tourism industry," he said at a recent workshop on climate change and coral reef resilience in Amed, Karangasem.

--

The workshop, which was organized by the foundation and the global Coral Reef Alliance, was attended by representatives from the Buleleng and Karangasem regencies and coral reef conservationists, and from the two regencies and from Gili Matra in West Nusa Tenggara."

To read the full text of the article, click here.