 |
| |
WEEKLY
SECTIONS |
 |
|
 |
| Poor coral growth at Sindh, Balochistan coasts |
|
|
|
Thursday, November 19, 2009
By Perwez Abdullah
Karachi
A survey of coral reefs at 18 sites along the Sindh and Balochistan coasts, conducted by scientists from the Centre of Excellence in Marine Biology (CEMB), has revealed that hard coral growth along the seashore is extremely poor.
This survey was a part of the research by CEMB on the coral reefs that are found on the sea coast of Sindh and Balochistan to understand the formation, preservation and destruction processes of the sediments that could help the country in many ways.
Researcher Amjad Ali who is the main force behind this research told The News that it is lamentable that due to non-recognition of this natural resource by the government, diversity of coral fauna in Pakistani waters compared to other countries of the region is fairly impoverished. However he hoped that there are chances that on subsequent surveys additional coral species would be discovered in Pakistan as extensive fossilised coral reefs have been found along the coast of Jiwani, Gwadar and Cape Monze that indicating existence of diverse coral communities in these areas in the past.
Ali, who has an M.Phil degree in Marine Biology and working for a PhD, said that they have recorded 29 species of hard corals from 18 diving sites (Ali himself is an excellent scuba diver) and that these 29 species belong to eight families and 14 genera. “The most abundant hard coral species were Favites complanata, Favites pentagona, Cosinaraea monile and Porites nodifera. Not all species were found at all the sites but Favites complanata was recorded from most of the sites at Astola Island,” he said.
Ali said that the researches in the past have noted that corals along the coast of Balochistan are in better shape than the Sindh coast, especially near Karachi. It is understandable because coast of Balochistan still boasts pristine beaches compared to Sindh that has been polluted by the thickly populated areas that discharge their pollutants in the sea.
Moreover there are a number of other factors that limit coral growth such as temperature, salinity, water depth, water turbulence and sedimentation. Ideal temperature for the healthy growth of corals is between 20 degree Celsius to 28 degrees Celsius while Temperatures below 20 halts coral growth and temperatures above 30 induce bleaching (loss of colour) and subsequent mortality to the corals, he said.
“Coral reefs could be a source of tourism that will bring invaluable foreign exchequer besides promoting the soft image of Pakistan. The reefs are beautiful which attract the visitors,” Ali said, adding that income from tourism for the Caribbean Islands is 140 billion dollar and coral reefs for scuba diving are the star attraction in these islands.
The reefs are living laboratories and are the world’s most diverse marine communities, representing banks of biological diversity.
Ali added that coral reef and their associated ecosystems like sandy sea-bed, mangroves and sea-grass play an important role in potential fisheries as they serve as nursery feeding grounds for open water fish. The coral reefs are the indicators of the environmental stress such as pollution and sea temperature fluctuations. These reefs have medicinal value too and are a source of pharmaceutically important compounds such as prostaglandins and anti-cancer agents, he said.
Meanwhile CEMB Director Prof. Dr Pirzada Jamal told The News that the corals are the diverse assemblage of organisms that belong to animal kingdom and fall into phylum Cnidaria (Coelenterate) and formed by the deposit of calcium carbonate or lime stone formed by the Coelenterates.
|
|
|
| Back
| Send
this story to Friend | Print
Version |
|
|
|
ISSN 1563-9479 
