THE UNITED Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) has just put out a report indicating that the costs of protecting the world's fast-disappearing coral reefs and mangroves are relatively small when compared to the benefits they provide from tourism, fisheries and other economic activities.
From the time of the damage done by Hurricane Allen in 1980 after which intensive monitoring began, Jamaica has lost significant portions of its coral reefs and mangroves. Worldwide, about 30 per cent of reefs are already severely damaged and 60 per cent could be lost by 2030. Just over one-third of mangroves have already been destroyed through harvesting for timber, disease, and conversion of the area to other uses.
Coral reefs and mangroves protect coastlines from erosion and storm surges and are habitats for a wide variety of marine species of economic importance to humans. UNEP has estimated that food fish caught on reefs are worth about US$6 per kilogramme while ornamental fish caught for aquariums may be worth as much as US$500 per kilogramme.
Our beaches, particularly the white sand beaches are both the products of coral reefs and are protected by the reefs from erosion. Late last month, we carried stories from the Marine Geology Unit of the University of the West Indies, Mona, on increasing incidences of beach erosion. Part of the reason for increasing erosion is rising sea levels from global warming. While the debate continues about the extent to which human action affects global warming, there is now little doubt that there is a contribution.
What is more immediately within our reach is the impact of local pollution and human activity along the coast which are destroying coral reefs and mangroves. Sewage and run-off of agricultural chemicals have been cited among the culprits having a negative impact on coral reefs. The burning of charcoal from mangrove wood is another practice with negative impact.
Last year we reported and commented on the fact that the developers of the Portmore leg of Highway 2000 were restoring damaged mangroves. Much more needs to be done by other players having an impact on the coastal environment, to protect, preserve and to restore.
The accuracy of the UNEP data in the imprecise field of ecosystem economics on the value of coral reefs and mangroves is not the real issue. Common sense makes clear that the value of these resources must be greater than the cost of preserving them. And all efforts must be made to do so through the direct actions of the environmental authorities and by raising the awareness of damagers and users.
