New marine reserve to protect coral reefs

A new marine nature reserve has been approved in the Indian Ocean to protect coral reefs, wildlife and communities which depend on the sea for their livelihoods. In a statement released at the weekend, the UN's Environmental Programme (UNEP) said the government of Mozambique had declared the entire Bazaruto Archipelago, along its east coast, a protected area. "At 1,400 square kilometres, it will now rank among the largest marine national parks in East Africa if not the world," UNEP said. The Bazaruto Archipelago consists of five islands between the towns of Vilancilo and Inhassoro in eastern Mozambique. The islands and their coral reefs support a wide variety of fish and possibly the only viable dugong or "elephant of the sea" population left on the East African coast. Robert Hepworth, Deputy Director of UNEP's Division of Environmental Conventions which is spearheading efforts to protect coral reefs world-wide, said in the statement: "Protecting an important environment can only work if local people have a say in the running and managing of it. They need a genuine stake in its prosperity so that effective and long-lasting conservation can flourish, benefiting current and future generations." The United Nations has designated 2002 as the International Year of Eco-Tourism. Ghislaine Llewellyn, a marine conservation biologist with the World Wild Fund (WWF), said: "We applaud the decision of the Mozambican government to declare the entire archipelago a National Park. This is a major step forward for marine conservation efforts along the Eastern African coast and should be a big boost for nature-based tourism in the country." WWF has been working in Bazaruto for nearly 10 years, supporting a number of conservation projects. These include paying local people for conservation work, including reporting sightings of turtle nests. The protection of coral reefs will be among the issues debated at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) which is scheduled to take place in South Africa next year. Coral reef experts have argued that the protection of reefs can play a crucial role in poverty reduction. Experts have also said that coral reefs and their related ecosystems such as mangrove swamps and sea grass beds are important sources of food security for vulnerable groups living in tropical costal areas. UNEP and its other global partners recently launched the International Coral Reefs Action Network (ICRAN) to reverse the decline of coral reefs worldwide. According to UNEP, one of ICRAN's main aims is to foster international links between local and regional initiatives. "It is working with relevant groups including marine park authorities, local fisherman, tour boat operators, hotel owners and others to help boost environmentally-friendly management at reef sites of the kind underway for the Bazaruto Archipelago," noted UNEP. Statistics from the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) show that by 2030, 60 percent of the world's coral reefs will disappear if urgent action is not taken.