The Coral Triangle is one of the three Great Ecological Complexes on the planet, together with the Congo Basin and the Amazon Rain forest. It is a vast ocean expanse that geographically spreads across six countries in the Southeast Asia and the Pacific:
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and the Timor Leste
The Coral Triangle is the nursery of the seas, which provides spawning grounds and migratory routes for commercially-valuable open ocean species such as tuna. This center of marine life hosts 76% of the world’s coral species and 37% of the world’s reef fish species and shelters thousands of whales, dolphins, rays, sharks and 6 of the world’s 7 species of marine turtles. It is an underwater treasure trove that directly sustains the lives of more than 120 million people who heavily depend on marine resources for food and income.
"More coral reef species than anywhere else on Earth.
Six of the world's 7 marine turtle species".
"A 6-million km2 ecosystem that fuels economies and supports the livelihoods of more than 100 million people.
This is the Coral Triangle".
Some of the largest threats to our reefs are Coastal development, destructive fishing, over fishing, unsustainable tourism and climate change are taking a heavy toll and, if left unchecked, will cause the collapse of this world’s most remarkable coral reef ecosystem.
Some of the threats...
Over fishing
resources—robbing present and future generations of their food and sources of income. Fish are being caught and shipped alive to high-end restaurants in Hong Kong and Singapore among others.
The problem is that many of these species are vulnerable, and often endangered. This trend is driven
by an increasing demand for seafood across Asia-Pacific, and made worse by the lack of effective
systems to sustainably manage fishing. Help WWF stop over fishing by patronizing responsibly-caught seafood products.
Over fishing is a result when more fishes are caught than the population can replace through natural reproduction. This is a serious problem in the Coral Triangle for many different species due to the rapidly increasing demand of fish. Billions of people rely on fish for protein and fishing in the principal livelihood for millions of people around the world. Though gathering as many fish as possible seems to be a profitable practice, it leads to the imbalance of life in the oceans and affect social and economic well-being of the coastal communities who depend on fish for survival. The over exploitation of the waters has threatened the survival of many species within the seas. Many fishermen and companies are aware of the need to manage and protect the fish populations and the natural environment, however, illegal fishing and other regulatory inefficiencies still exist and need to be solved efficiently to properly manage this problem.
Bycatch also means the accidental capture of non-targeted species such as dolphin, marine turtles and seabirds while fishing. Every year, through the use of gillnets, on longlines and in trawls, millions of pound of non-target fish species and other marine life are caught and often discarded back into sea either dead or dying. This happens because modern fishing gears used, efficient at catching the desired fish species, are often undetectable by sight and extremely strong to catch anything in its path.
Marine Turtle Trade Demand for marine turtles as food, souvenirs, jewelry, medicine, cosmetics and pets is fueling the illegal trade of these species and their parts (eggs, meat, shell) in the Coral Triangle. More and more stuffed turtles are sold as souvenirs in China, while there continues to be a high demand for turtle meat and egg consumption across the region. Help WWF stop the illegal trade and consumption of turtles by refusing turtle-based products, and spreading the word around you.
Coral Bleaching
Coral bleaching, caused by increased ocean temperatures, poses a major threat to coral reefs.
This affects not only marine biodiversity but also millions of people in the Coral Triangle who
depend on the reefs’ natural resources for their daily sustenance and source of income. Reduce
your impact on global warming by reducing your carbon footprint!
The effects of climate change mainly rising temperatures, rising sea levels and ocean acidification affects the coastal ecosystem. The ideal water temperature for corals is between 21- 29 degree Celsius. Therefore warming of the oceans due to rising temperatures and rising sea levels will lead to coral bleaching as the symbiotic algae inside the corals which provides for its colour and most of its food, dies. It is estimated that, within 20-25 years, if current trends continue, coral bleaching will be an annual event. Widespread coral bleaching would thus affect the survival of fishes and in turn impact livelihoods and tourism.
Furthermore, ocean acidification due to acid rain would also endanger the survival of marine life. The release of more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere also means more of these greenhouse gases are absorbed into the carbon sinks such as oceans. This alter the ocean’s pH balance which makes the water more acidic and toxic. Certain organisms such as shellfish and corals are extremely vulnerable to ocean acidification as it interferes with their ability to form hard skeleton.
Lastly, climate change may also lead to extreme weather conditions such as more powerful tropical storms and cyclones which will cause more damage to coral reefs and the locals.
Destructive Fishing
Countless endangered species including marine turtles, sharks, seabirds, billfish and marine
mammals are killed each year due to indiscriminate fishing. By eating responsibly-caught seafood,
you can help WWF to ensure that the fishing industry continue to feed people and the economies
of the Coral Triangle without affecting the future of fish.
How Do I Save The Coral Triangle?
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International marine scientists say that a huge coral death which has struck Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean reefs over recent months has highlighted the urgency of controlling global carbon emissions.
Many reefs are dead or dying across the Indian Ocean and into the Coral Triangle following a bleaching event that extends from the Seychelles in the west to Sulawesi and the Philippines in the east and include reefs in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and many sites in western and eastern Indonesia.
"It is certainly the worst coral die-off we have seen since 1998. It may prove to be the worst such event known to science," says Dr Andrew Baird of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook Universities. "So far around 80 percent of Acropora colonies and 50 per cent of colonies from other species have died since the outbreak began in May this year."
This means coral cover in the region could drop from an average of 50% to around 10%, and the spatial scale of the event could mean it will take years to recover, striking at local fishing and regional tourism industries, he says.
The bleaching event has also hit the richest marine biodiversity zone on the planet, the 'Amazon Rainforest' of the seas, known as the Coral Triangle (CT), which is bounded by Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
"Although the Coral Triangle is the richest region for corals on Earth, it relies on other regions around its fringes to supply the coral spawn and fish larvae that help keep it so rich," Dr Baird explains. "So there are both direct and indirect effects on CT reefs which will affect their ability to recover from future disturbance."
"Also the reefs of the region support tens of millions of people who make their living from the sea and so plays a vital role in both the regional economy and political stability. For example, in Aceh, northern Sumatera, where the bleaching is most severe, a high proportion of the people rely on fishing and tourism for their livelihoods. While it may take up to two years for some fish species to be affected by the loss of coral habitat, fisheries yields will decline and this combined with a drop in the number of SCUBA divers visiting could have major long-term effects on the local economy."
The cause of the bleaching event was a large pool of super-hot water which swept into the eastern Indian Ocean region several months ago, shocking the corals and causing them to shed the symbiotic algae that nourish them, thereby losing color and "bleaching." If the corals do not regain their algae they starve to death.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Hotspots website, sea surface temperatures in the region peaked in late May, 2010, and by July the accumulated heat stress was greater than in 1998. Local dive operators recorded water temperatures of 93 F (temps should be more like 80 F), over 4 degrees higher that than long term average for the area.
The event was first detected on reefs in Aceh by marine ecologists from Wildlife Conservation Society, CoECRS and Syiah Kuala University. They already rate it as one of the worst coral diebacks ever recorded.
"My colleagues and I have high confidence these successive ocean warming episodes, which exceed the normal tolerance range of warm-water corals, are driven by human-induced global warming. They underline that the planet is already taking heavy hits from climate change -- and will continue to do so unless we can reduce carbon emissions very quickly.
"They also show this is not just about warmer temperatures: it is also threatening the livelihoods of tens of millions of people and potentially the stability of our region."
Dr Baird said it was not yet clear whether Australia would suffer a similar coral bleaching event this year: this would emerge only with the arrival of warmer waters from the north in January/February 2011. The previous worst events to strike the Great Barrier Reef were in 1998 and 2002 when over 40% of the reefs along the length of the GBR were affected.
The goal of the Coral Triangle Day is to position the Coral Triangle as a globally-significant eco-region—a modern day icon of the natural world so that millions of people learn more about its significance to their everyday lives and are empowered to take specific actions to help conserve and protect this natural treasure. It aims to:
- Bring to light the importance of oceans in people’s lives and the need to protect them;
- Highlight the conservation work being done by Coral Triangle partners in the region to help protect the Coral Triangle;
- Provide a regional platform to promote national / local marine conservation work in each Coral Triangle country; and
- Provide a tangible way for people to celebrate several key international marine events such as World Oceans Day (8 June).
- The Coral Triangle’s economic value is nothing short of phenomenal:
- Tuna spawning and nursery grounds support a multi-billion dollar tuna industry and supply millions of consumers worldwide
- Marine resources contribute to a growing nature-based tourism industry, valued at over US$12 billion annually
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| Jürgen Freund |
Coral Triangle biodiversity
Corals- 76% (605) of the world’s coral species (798) are found in the Coral Triangle, the highest coral diversity in the world.
- The epicenter of that coral diversity is found in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of Indonesian Papua, which hosts 574 species (95% of the Coral Triangle, and 72% of the world’s total). Within the Bird’s Head Peninsula, the Raja Ampat archipelago is the world’s coral diversity bull’s eye with 553 species.
- The Coral Triangle has 15 regionally endemic coral species (species found nowhere else in the world), and shares 41 regional endemic species with Asia.
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| Jürgen Freund |
Coral reef fishes
- The Coral Triangle has more coral reef fish diversity than anywhere else in the world: 37% (2,228) of the world’s coral reef fish species (6,000), and 56% of the coral reef fishes in the Indo-Pacific region (4,050).
- 8% (235 species) of the coral reef fishes in the Coral Triangle are endemic or locally restricted species. Within the Coral Triangle, four areas have particularly high levels of endemism (Lesser Sunda Islands, Papua New Guinea – Solomon Islands, Bird’s Head Peninsula, and the Central Philippines).
Marine turtles
6 of the world's 7 marine turtle species, including the leatherback marine turtle, found in places such as the Northern Bird's Head Peninsula / Waigeo region, Papua (Indonesia), as well as Lea region (Papua New Guinea), New Georgia (Solomon Islands).
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| Dolphins, porpoises, and the endangered dugong. |
Cetaceans(Whales, dolphins etc.)
The Coral Triangle is frequented by the blue whale, the largest animal to ever live on Earth.
Other Coral Triangle whales include the sperm whale (found throughout Coral Triangle waters and the Savu Sea, especially Solor-Alor region).
Click here to buy: The Coral Triangle By Ken Kassem, Eric Madeja
Why the Coral Triangle (and not a circle)?
The Coral Triangle is defined by marine zones containing at least 500 species of reef-building coral—the darkest area that is roughly triangular in shape shown in the map above.
Certain neighboring countries, including Australia and Fiji, contain rich coral biodiversity as well, but with somewhat lower numbers.
Certain neighboring countries, including Australia and Fiji, contain rich coral biodiversity as well, but with somewhat lower numbers.
The main criteria used by scientists and conservationists to delineate the Coral Triangle were:
- High species biodiversity (more than 500 coral species, high biodiversity of reef fishes, foraminifera, fungid corals, and stomatopods) and habitat diversity
- Oceanography (currents)
Help us Save Our Oceans. Videos below show how far gone our oceans are and how we are dedicated at saving our them.
Try out for the Photo Contest!
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| Coral Triangle Contest |
REFERENCES
- Veron et al. Unpublished data
- Veron, J.E.N. 1995. Corals in space and time: biogeography and evolution of the Scleractinia. UNSW Press, Sydney, Australia: xiii + 321 pp.
- Allen, G. R. 2007 Conservation hotspots of biodiversity and endemism for Indo-Pacific coral reef fishes. Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. DOI: 10.1002/aqc.880.
- Benjamin Kahn, pers. comm.
- The Nature Conservancy. 2004. Delineating the Coral Triangle, its ecoregions and functional seascapes. Report on an expert workshop, held at the Southeast Asia Center for Marine Protected Areas, Bali, Indonesia, (April 30 - May 2, 2003), Version 1.1 (June 2004).
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies. "Worst coral death strikes at Southeast Asia." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 October 2010. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101020091903.htm>.
