Chinese official rings alarm bells about ecological threats to South China Sea
‘Over 80 per cent of coral reefs and 73 per cent of mangroves have disappeared as compared to 1970s’
Coral reefs and mangroves in the South China Sea have been rapidly shrinking over the past several years, as a Chinese official made a rare acknowledgement of the ecological problem, without specifying causes.
“The situation is severe as compared to 1970s as over 80 per cent of coral reefs and 73 per cent of mangroves have disappeared,” Wang Xiaoqiang, an official at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, told a conference to mark the World Diversity Day on Sunday, according to a report by Thepaper.cn.
The ecosystems of coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass in the South China Sea have been degrading “for many years”, according to Wang.
He attributed “intensified human activities” and “worsening effects of global warming” as the broad factors, but didn’t cite direct causes.
Chinese intensive reclamation projects on reefs and atolls it claims in the disputed Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea have drawn flak for destructing some of the most biodiverse coral reefs in the world.
The British newspaper, The Guardian, reported last year that the construction works have led to “loss of thousands of acres of reefs in recent years”, which “constitutes the quickest rate of permanent loss of coral reef area in human history”, citing leading marine biologist John McManus.
Some conservation groups have pointed out that illegal fishing by a section of Chinese fishermen,
poaching of sea turtles and excessive dredging of giant clams are all causing irreparable harm to the fragile ecosystem in the South China Sea.
In response to the criticisms, Hong Lei, a spokesperson with Chinese foreign ministry, had said last year that China was “more concerned than anyone else over the ecology of South China Sea”, according to a report by the state broadcaster, CCTV.
Five countries – China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei – and Taiwan have competing claims over more than 250 islands, reefs and sandbars in the South China Sea. The islands are mostly uninhabited, but rapid reclamation is endangering the ecosystem.
