HONG KONG: Concern is mounting among some scientists that China’s reclamation work in the disputed Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea has done severe harm to one of the most important coral reef systems in South-East Asia.
China’s use of dredged sand and coral to build artificial islands on seven reefs had also damaged reef systems beyond the outposts, meaning the affected area could be greater than first thought, said several scientists who have studied satellite images of the Spratlys.
Those concerns contrast with repeated official Chinese statements that Beijing is committed to protecting reefs and the broader marine environment in the South China Sea in keeping with its obligations under United Nations conventions.
John McManus, a prominent University of Miami marine biologist who has worked with Philippine scientists to research the South China Sea, told fellow experts this month that China’s reclamation “constitutes the most rapid rate of permanent loss of coral reef area in human history”.
Beyond the outposts, a wider area of reef had been destroyed by the dredging of sand from lagoons for use on the new islands and the dredging of shipping channels to access them, he wrote in an online oceanographic forum operated by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal agency.
McManus urged claimants to put aside their disputes and create a marine “peace park” to preserve what was left.
“I can’t help but use the phrase overused for forestry ... they’ve paved paradise,” he said.
Most foreign criticism of China over its new islands has focused on the spike in tensions their creation has caused or the possible impact on freedom of navigation, especially since Beijing has said the outposts will have undefined military purposes. Only the Philippines has publicly accused China of causing ecological damage.
On Monday, Manila said China’s reclamation had caused annual economic losses of US$281mil (RM1.05bil) to regional coastal nations.
Asked to respond to the scientists’ concerns, China’s Foreign Ministry referred to a statement last week from the State Oceanic Administration, the maritime regulator, which said numerous environmental protection measures were in place.
“Impact on coral reef ecology is localised, temporary, controllable and restorable,” the agency said.
It did not respond to a request for further comment.
Biologically diverse Chinese dredgers in the Spratlys have reclaimed some 800ha of land since reclamation began in late 2013, US officials have said.
Other claimants, particularly Vietnam, have reclaimed land to support existing outposts or extend piers and runways but on a much smaller scale. The remaining claimants to the Spratlys waters are the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.
While the Spratly reefs are relatively small compared to major global reef systems, they are considered biologically diverse and could help propagate threatened coastal reefs with coral larvae and fish, scientists said.
They are also home to endangered sea creatures including giant clams, dugongs and several species of turtle. — Reuters
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