A
comprehensive survey completed recently by the Kuwait Diving Team along
50 miles of Persian Gulf coastline in the United Arab Emirates found
that 90% of the reefs off the emirate’s shores have been affected by
bleaching.
The condition, which results in the loss of the reefs’
brightly colored algae and leaves just the white skeleton behind, is
known to be aggravated by higher temperatures, and the region’s waters
this year were noted to have risen to 35 degrees Celsius.
Diving
team lead Walid Al-Fadhel, said that he and fellow team mates are
involved in awareness raising campaigns as well as calling for officials
to help halt further damage.
A similar study conducted in the
Philippines this summer discovered wide-spread bleaching of corals there
that has left 95% perished. This is the worst event of reef bleaching
in Philippine history, surpassing the last disaster of 1998 which was
the hottest year on record until now.
Thomas Goreau, president of
Global Reef Alliance, a non-governmental organization based
inCambridge, Massachusetts, USA said that reefs worldwide have similarly
suffered massive losses. stating He stated, “This year is certainly the
hottest year in history. This is a result of global warming.” He went
on to say that coral reefs in Bahrain, Qatar and other emirates as well
as Iran have all likely undergone a similar change but have
not yet been reported.
We
are saddened to know of such widespread marine decline, and wish to
thank the Kuwait Diving Team, as well as Philippine divers and concerned
organizations such as the Global Reef Alliance Mr. Goreau for your work
in sharing these discoveries. May we all work hand in hand to halt such
damage and renew the balance and beauty of our eco-sphere.
Expressing
concern for the deteriorating health of the coral reefs during an
October 2009 videoconference in Indonesia, Supreme Master Ching Hai
urged for humanity’s conscientious actions to restore the stability of
the marine ecosystem and all the life that it supports.
Supreme Master Ching Hai:
The coral reef is a protector of our lives, of the sea. Right now it is
endangered. Also, When we stop vacuuming all the poor fish out of the
sea, they will have a chance to restore the balance in the oceans.
We
desperately need the fish in the sea to balance the ocean; otherwise
our lives will be in danger. The scientists also observed that when the
ocean is healthy again, even the dead coral reefs will revive
themselves.
But in order to witness nature’s recovery, we must
not let our current way of life continue. The vegan solution is the
fastest and most effective.
http://www.english.globalarabnetwork.com/201009197300/Science-Health/kuwait-losses-90-of-corals-reefs-
in-the-arab-gulf.htmlhttp://news.mongabay.com/2010/0923-fidenci_coralbleach.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3353985/One-third-of-fish-caught-worldwide-used-as-animal-
feed.htmlhttp://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp.id=2112http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article.AID=/20100922/FOREIGN/709219863/1140