HANOI: Vietnam has banned swimming plus scuba diving at a well-known central tourist place in an attempt to revive its damaged coral reef, officials said Monday (Jun 27).
The communist nation boasts more than 3, 200km associated with coastline with superior waters, vibrant ocean life and exotic beaches that are a huge tourism draw.
Coral reefs throughout Southeast Asia were badly hit simply by global warming, with scientists warning their own degradation could have devasting environmental and economic knock-on effects.
Recent photos removed Hon Mun tropical isle – about 14km from the city of Nha Trang and popular with divers thanks to its diverse ecosystem – showed the reef bleached and damaged.
“The Nha Trang bay administration authority decided to stop swimming and diving activities in places around Hon Mun island, ” authorities said.
In the statement they said the particular ban was in order to “evaluate the condition of delicate area so that an appropriate plan to enact the ocean conservation area” could be made.
Effective from Monday, the ban would final “until further notice”, they added.
About 60 percent of the coastal mattress in the area was included in living coral within 2020, according to state media, but more recent findings showed that had shrunk in order to less than 50 %.
Previously local authorities blamed the diminishing ecosystem on weather change, noting that powerful storms within 2019 and 2021 had damaged the coral.
Additionally they blamed illegal angling, dredging, construction of industrial parks and waste disposal.
Divers expressed anger over the decision to close the waters.
“Swimming and diving activities were the least influence on the coral reefs, compared to alternative activities, ” diver Nguyen Son, from Ho Chi Minh Town, told AFP.
“The ecosystem (around Hon Mun) should have recovered after 2 yrs of pandemic, ” said diver Trinh Ngoc Sang.
“Without proper administration, the fishing vessels came in and damaged the sea bed, ” he told AFP, recalling the view of rubbish and dead coral throughout a recent dive.
“It would take dozens of years for the coral reefs to become restored, so they want to close it throughout? ”
The United Nations Intergovernmental Screen on Climate Alter has warned that 4. 5 million people in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean region could be affected by damaged coral reefs.
The particular reefs support regarding 25 per cent of marine biodiversity.
Vietnam’s decision comes after a similar move in Thailand, which restricted access to Maya Bay – immortalised within the Leonardo DiCaprio film The Beach : to give the local ecosystem a chance to recover.
Read more on: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/vietnam-halts-scuba-diving-hon-mun-island-protect-coral-2772971
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