Timely call to save corals and marine resources
Director and Head Scientist for Reef Explorer (Fiji) Ltd Victor Bonito has made a timely call for the regulation of coral trade because it is already under threat from human activity.
He was speaking during the first engagement of the Fiji Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Management Authority meeting on Monday.
He stresses that the coral and live rock trade is one that offers great potential to be regulated so that it’s undertaken in a manner in which the integrity of the ecosystem is maintained and the risk of inadvertent species loss is minimised. He urges the regulatory authorities and industry players to work together to ensure that these goals are met.
As a maritime nation we have a duty of care to protect our coral reefs.
Many diverse marine life depend on corals.
When we destroy corals we put at risk marine life that depends on them for sustenance.
Globally there is recognition that our coral reefs are in a rapid state of decline and something must be done to reverse the trend.
Mr Bonito says ccommunities on Fijian reefs are no different than those found in the rest of the world that are facing negative impacts from local threats including overfishing, sedimentation caused by run-off, poor land use and development practices, wastewater and other pollution from coastal developments. Overharvesting would lead to coral extinction.
This can only be prevented by appropriate regulation of trade as a form of mitigation.