‘Boracay coral reefs may be rehabbed’

 Not all hope is lost for the declining coral reef cover in this island resort.
Damaged coral reefs here may still be rehabilitated, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 6.
Coral bleaching, along with pollution and unregulated diving activities, contributes to coral reef decline here, the agency disclosed in its “Boracay Coral Reef Cover Assessment” report.
DENR conducted underwater assessment in seven popular diving sites here: Coral Garden, Angol Point, Friday’s Rock, Laurel Island, Channel Drift, Bulabog Reef (Laguna de Boracay), and Yapak.
“The mean percent cover of live hard corals is 30 percent and soft corals, 11.5 percent, which is considered fair,” the DENR report stated.
Several steps may be followed to restore the health of coral reefs here, but a united action among stakeholders is necessary, DENR said.
“What Boracay needs to sustain a healthy coastal marine resource is a change in policy directions to manage the island’s fragile ecosystem,” said Regional Director Jim Sampulna. “We cannot simply say [it is] ‘business as usual,’ for that would ruin the remaining critical marine habitat in the island.”
CORAL BLEACHING
Coral bleaching, according to DENR, happens when corals lose their life partners zooxanthellae, which are microscopic and photosynthetic algae.
Zooxanthellae live inside coral tissues, giving corals food and color. Corals protect zooxanthellae and give them compounds needed for photosynthesis. In turn, zooxanthellae use carbon dioxide and water corals produce for photosynthesis, which helps corals grow.
When corals get stressed by changes in conditions, such as warmer temperature due to El Niño, they spew out zooxanthellae, causing them to turn white (bleaching).
Researchers found out that corals can survive bleaching but are under more stress and susceptible to mortality. Other stressors of corals are pollution and unregulated diving activities, DENR said.
SOLUTIONS
The team that conducted the assessment recommended various strategies to address the problem, one of which is the formulation of an Integrated Coastal Management Plan, which include zoning and coral rehabilitation.
Zoning will help guide the local government and businesses engaged in diving to identify diving and non-diving sites. Some marine areas must be left undisturbed since corals, especially hard corals, take years to grow, DENR said.
Businesses may also employ the concept of rehabilitation, like “adopt a coral” or “plant a coral,” in diving activities.
DENR Region 6 and 1st Boracay Master Divers Association, Inc. plans to train divers here on how to replant corals using broken ones. A specific diving site will be identified for this.
The agency also recommended the strict monitoring and prohibition of disposing of waste and wastewater into the sea here, especially among businesses.