Marine size area is important: Marine Biologists

 

Asia's Coral Triangle is a triangular area stretching across the Philippines, eastern Sabah, eastern Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It is often referred to as the "Amazon of the seas" because it contains nearly 30 per cent of the world's reefs and more than 3,000 species of fish. This made it a treasure trove of marine life. A new study has been carried out on Asia's Coral Triangle, which contains nearly 30 per cent of the world's reefs. Based on the its results, it shows that marine size area is important to ensure a rich and diverse range of species.

Peter Etnoyer, a marine biologist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the study suggests that marine protected areas should be as large and diverse as possible. Through this, it could be possible to "include more species, more habitats, and more genetic diversity to offer species the best chance of adapting to sea temperature and other environmental changes." Previous reports have shown that more than 85 per cent of the reefs there are considered to be threatened by human activities like coastal development, pollution and overfishing. Therefore, the larger marine protected areas the better because this will help it adapt to change. Besides that, the study also found that sea surface temperature plays an important role in the proliferation of marine life.

Read more on: asiaone.com