Indonesia declares protected zone to save coral reefs

Nusa Penida, Indonesia (AFP) Nov 21, 2010 – Indonesia on Sunday declared the coral-rich waters around Bali — a popular scuba diving spot which is home to the giant Mola-Mola ocean sunfish — a protected zone. The 20,000-hectare (49,500 acre) area around Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Lembongan islands will be protected from destructive fishing, waste dumping and coral mining, project leader Marthen Welly told AFP. “Destructive fishing is carried out by fishermen using cyanide and explosives,” Welly of the conservation group The Nature Conservancy (TNC) said. “Many ships also throw anchors on the coral reefs and hotels and households dump wastes causing water pollution. Now they can’t do these anymore,” he said. …

The islands are part of Coral Triangle, considered the world’s richest underwater wilderness which stretches across six nations between the Indian and Pacific oceans — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. … Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said the project will contribute to the government’s target of creating 20 million hectares of maritime conservation parks by 2020, up from around 13 million currently. …