In the ocean, scuba divers are hard at work. The water here is 5 meters deep. A diver swims near a large steel frame. Current designed to speed up corral growth. The divers are growing coral due to the danger of the white sands disappearing. Around ten years ago, the waves began to wash away the sands during the rainy season. What we are selling is our pristine fine white sand and the crystal blue water, so if its gone, there will be no island. There will be no tourist destination. From 2012, work began with the cooperation of Japanese Research ergs to analyze the cause of the sand loss. Based on the results of that study, local people are trying to take action. For me, its a small challenge. Its a beautiful place. No doubt about it. Very beautiful. Not just the sand. But the under water. But it is a challenge because there are so many problems that somehow erode the benefits from the resources. Can the island protect its white sands . We follow the work under way to save the beaches of boracay. Boracay attracts 1. 5 million tourists a year. Recently, increasing numbers of visitors come not only from europe and north america, but also, from other asian countries. The healthy Tourism Industry is driven by the beautiful beach. Its sand is formed from an accumulation of coral fragments from the bay. We come from australia where they got nice beaches. Great beach. I love the trees coming down. Its a paradise beach. Yeah. Freedom. The most prettiest beach ive ever been do. Do the activity, all, yeah. Water is nice, yeah. There are now 350 hotels on the island. The tourists trade brings in 500 million a year. Goomorning, kids. Howeveealsometngt the beach, almi. Have you seen al . See. Also, over there. Over here. See. And you see here. So you see how the sand here and the roots exposed, and see there. Along the beach are palm trees with their roots exposed from the sand. Some have even begun to fall over. In other places, the condition is worse. Before, its all sand all the way here. The sand is all the way there, in the rocks. It changed. It changed. The sand was covering the rock, all the way to the stairs, and underneath. Its meaning is the sand was gone from here. Yeah. It slowly is. Elena has been living on the island for 20 years. She says that it was only around ten years ago that the waves began to erode the sand. During the rainy season between june and october, the waves reach right up the beach. Recently, these floods may occur more than ten times a year. Sometimes the beaches flooded for up to four hours. The Marine Science Institute at the university of the philippines. Dr. Miguel fortes is a scientist based here, together with colleagues of japan, he has been researching Boracay Island since 2012. Dr. Fortes has focused on the coral off shore to try to understand the causes of the beach erosion. Coral reef, what is a coral reef . Coral reef is a structure dominated by corals. The animal s are the products o Symbiotic Partnership between coral animals and plants. Microscopic plants. They live together, and living together, they form what we now see as the corals. The corals form as an ecosystem, the coral reef. Corals are related to sea on the surface of the corals are are numerous small tentacles known as polyps. Inside the polyps live phytoplanki tn, producing am aminoacids. These amino acids are absorbed by the nutrients. Calcium within seawater, Calcium Carbonate skeleton. The slow growing coral is very sensitive to changes in its environment. This satellite image shows the seabed around Boracay Island. The island is in the middle. The coral areas are shown in pink. Dr. Fortes has paid keen attention to the change of coral in the sea off white beach. By following the changes occurring since 1988, the decline is very easy to see. Analysis shows that the amount of coral in the sea off white beach has decreased by 40 over the past 2 decades. Between the beach and the coral, there is also an increasing area shown here in brown where the coral has died and simply left behind its crumbled skeleton. Dr. Fortes has been analyzing aerial photographs. They show that in certain areas, the coral has vanished all together. The area, 1988, you have huge coral not just here, some there, and there. But look, in 2007, that pa disappeared. This is dinowa, an area to the north of white beach photographed in 1988. The darker areas in the water show coral extending for around 100 meters. Almost 20 years later, the coral is nearly all gone. Waves, water, it erodes the land. There must be a protection, and the coral is the Number One Protection against that. With coral off shore, the incoming waves are broken up and diminish as they reach land. Without the protection, the waves are stronger when they hit the shore, and climb higher up the beach. These waves are eroding the sand, and carrying it back out to sea. Just how far back the beach has receded over the past two decades is evident in these aerial photographs. Very good. Dr. Fortes also points out that development along the beach front has accelerated the problem. This one, especially. You know, if the structure is like that, and the waves strikes, the force is stronger once it goes down. If it is slanted like this, it is lesser. Thats why the natural, its flat. So that the waves driven by the wind will just go and then down. But if you put it like this in response to the study, the local authorities are working to remove terraces and other structures at risk of eroding the beach. This restaurant has been in business for 40 years. Its terrace once reached out two meters onto the beach but has since been removed. But now its been removed. Up to this level, yeah, to that. Thats the temporary use of the beach. So thats how, one way of protecting the beach also. So it hurts somehow to the business, to the restaurant owner, but thats good for everybody. Yeah, and we are following this one. Because its better to preserve rather than losing. The off shore coral has always protected white beach, but why did it disappear so rapidly . Dr. Fortes says one of the reasons is the rise in sea levels due to global warming. Now, there is really no good data to show the increase in time series and in long term. None yet. But we have seen the level has been increasing very gradually. Now, if you change the depth, that is critical for the coral because of the light that they need. If its too light, there is fewer or less production of food. Dr. Fortes also points out that the destruction of ecosystems resulting from the development of the island is another major factor. In the 1980s, boracay was a quiet island covered in forest. It had a population of just 3,000. Local people engaged if fishing and agriculture. Living a selfsufficient lifestyle. Word of the idyllic beaches spread following speeches by european backpackers. As the islands reputation grew around the world, tourist numbers continued to rise. In 1984, the number of visitors to the island was 14,000. By 1995, the number had risen to 80,000, climbing to 500,000 in 2005. Over the next decade, the number nearly tripled. Hotels, restaurants and other facilities were built in abundance to provide for the influx in tourists. As a result, 30 of the forest was lost. The other very common factor which reduce coral cover is sedimentation, especially when the forests are cut and you have rains bringing the sediments and the soil down to the coral reef and corals have very small pores where they have living organisms and those spores are clogged by a silt, they die. Today, the population of boracay is around 30,000. 10 times that of 30 years ago. However, sewage and drainage systems have not kept pace with the rapid population growth. According to a 2013 survey, more than half of households throw their waste water untreated into drains. In some cases, it flows directly into the sea. This contamination of the seawater is yet another factor, resulting in the death of the coral. Ater on 35 of the island is being treated. After the completion later this year of a new Sewage Treatment plant, that number will rise to 75 . A lot of these are coming from people. Activities. And the trend in boracay is staggering, so much, this is alarming. The department of tourism, d. O. T. , targets 2. 7 million by 2 2018. But the basic question is can they handle . They cannot even handle half of it, but now theyre planning. What does it mean . Young people from the island are currently working to regenerate the lost coral. Adle al is a diving instructor. Hes been helping dr. Fortes with his diving studies. With guidance from experts, adel and other diving instructors are working to regenerate coral off white beach. They regularly two lly go to c its progress. These large steel frames are at the core of their efforts. A tiny electric current flowing through the structure encourages the coral to grow by taking on calcium. Within a few years, natural coral will develop. Currently, the frames are installed in two different locations. If these test projects are successful, there are plans to install more. You can see the growing coral. It wasnt there before. The one we planted, its growing. Its big already, after one year. If you plant coral, it grows one inch every year. But when i saw or planting, its more than one inches. Its even wide. So we were so happy that the branching coral is adapting the area. Whenever he visits the island, dr. Fortes examines video shot by adel and his colleagues off white beach. This type of reef is a recovering reef. Its recovering. Coral, the first year comes the succession, and of course, the fast growers, massive, and here. Its a good sign. There is really no growth, but growth doesnt mean that its already functioning. Growth is a normal response. Okay. But this indication that theres a potential for that to recover and maybe colonize further, so the duty of everyone sustain eit, enhance it. Dr. Fortes is also working to teach the islands youth about the importance of the environment. Today, 25 have come to hear him speak. Natural wealth of boracay. Natural wealth of boracay. In other words, you are going to identify, in your perception as a team, where the wealth of boracay is or are. He divides the group into five different teams and asks them to think about the theme. 20 minutes pass. Time. Okay. Any volunteers . Whats your answer . Team three. Wow. Shes smiling which means shes very confident. Come on. Whats your name . Katie. Katie. Katie. Okay, katie. The number one because many people come. Tourism. Yes. Good. There are other types of activities that other foreign people can do and can also get fish which are important for only waters. Good. How about the others . The number one is the tourist destinations at the beaches. The tourists come here swimming in the beach. Tourist destinations. Tourists come here. How about the other teams . Two . The number one wealth of boracay is mainly the beach or the coastal area as it is the route. Mainly the beach. Your answer are under what we call the best answer, but you forgot one very important wealth of boracay. Of course, the environment is the number one, so it concludes the reason destinations environment on which tourism thrives. But for me, for me, you forgot people. People, environment, and people. Interaction between the two and everything really so huge under that. You see here, there are more exposed. Later on, dr. Fortes takes the class to white beach. A green seaweed. Calcified. Carbonate. He wishes to impart the Environmental Protection to the next generation. Boracay, for me, its more a challenge. Its a beautiful, no doubt about it. Very beautiful. Not just the sand. But the under water. But it is a challenge because so many problems that somehow erode the benefits from the resources. As a professor of marine science, that is what our duty is. Were obliged to share the knowledge, the result of our research, to those who need them. White beach is treasured as boracays most precious jewel. The efforts to preserve its environment continue today. Its the top of the hour in tokyo. This is nhk newsline. Im ross mihara. The u. N. Security council has opened an emergency meeting to discuss north koreas latest missile launch. The north fired what appeared to be a submarine launched Ballistic Missile on wednesday. The closed door session began in the wake of the launch at the request of japan, the united states, and south korea. The three nations are seeking to have the Council Issue a statement condemning pyongyang. The missile flew about 500 kilometers. That is believed to have come down in japans air Defense Identification Zone in the sea of japan. The council held a sim
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