MODERATE TO SEVERE: Local researchers involved in the global study found that five coral reefs near the Pratas Islands and Itu Aba Island all had low levels of oxygenBy Wu Po-hsuan and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Tree poaching has made Taiwan suffer disproportionate forest loss. Approaches to solving this crisis are varied, and Taiwan is having difficulty finding the right solution.
Coral reefs surrounding Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) are not likely to recover naturally after the percentage of live coral cover dropped to 10 to 20 percent, the lowest in the nation’s waters, experts told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
The Taiwan Environmental Information Association released the results of a study from 2009 to 2020 ahead of World Oceans Day today.
Since 2009, the association has been monitoring changes in coral reefs off Taiwan’s north, northeast, east and south coasts, as well as those off Green Island (綠島), Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼), Siaoliouciou and Penghu County, it said.
Nearly 600 trained divers were recruited
CORAL KILLERS: Frequent development of coastal areas, excessive plant and algae growth, and tourism were identified as possible reasons for reduced reefsBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporter