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LaChLaNmO1
Joined: May 7, 2003
Posts: 1 (view all)
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Country: Australia
Province/State: Queensland
City: Gold Coast
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Save our Reefs!!!!!11
May 21, 2003 - 07:37 AM
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I live in Australia and our reefs are getting torn apart by local tourism and Crown of Thorns Starfich. What are your thoughts on the destruction of the beutiful reefs?
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Roentgen
Joined: Feb 25, 2003
Posts: 70 (view all)
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Gender: Male
Country: Philippines
Province/State: Manila
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Re: Save our Reefs!!!!!11
May 22, 2003 - 07:23 AM
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That is sad.
My country also has great reefs and in fact, our Tubbataha Reef (in Sulu Sea) is a World Heritage Site as declared by UNESCO (that means, it should be protected and preserved for humanity). There are government bodies and civil society organizations (WWF)overseeing the protection but there are still many cases of poaching, illegal fishing, etc. I also grew up in a coastal town and whenever I find time to do snorkeling or skin diving (with the threat of sharks and all, hehehe), it always feel good to know that so far, our marine resources are not affected as much as in other places. Of course, the threat is there.
I think governments should be strict on the implementation of policies. In my country, the problem is compounded by the poignant reality of lack of funds. I do believe that tourism and environmental protection could go together. An example is the strict rules applied on tourists visiting your Great Barrier Reef-limited access, etc.(Has this wonder been affected too?) We can enjoy nature without destroying it.
In my town, we have established a buffer zone (if I'm not mistaken, it's at least a kilometer from the coast and extends a kilometer wide)and fishing and any human activity is prohibited in the area. Inspite of our meager budget (initially funded by the national government and other institutions, this is now a locally-maintained project and my town is a fourth class municipality in terms of income. Even by Philippine standards, that is already low.), we have made this worthwhile project successful. The key is maintaning a constant dialogue with the people, explaining to them the value of such a project. The people were enthusiastic although, skeptical at first (since they will surely lose potential source of livelihood). Now, the municipal government has employed a few people to man the monitoring team. We don't have modern equipment but the cooperation of the people has made everything possible.
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