soulxtc
October 16th, 2006, 10:09 AM
BEIJING (Reuters) - Growing populations and booming economies are threatening fragile coastal areas in East Asia, and the region's coral reefs could face total collapse within 20 years, according to a new United Nations study.
Although millions of people have been lifted out of poverty by economic development over the last 15 years, the impact of rapid growth on the environment has been severe, said the policy brief from the United Nations Environment Program, a copy of which was seen by Reuters on Monday. "Growing populations and their migration to coastal areas, dynamic economic growth, and rising global demands for fishery and aquatic products ... have combined to exert tremendous pressure on East Asia's marine environment and coastal resources," it said.
Fisheries, mangrove swamps, reefs, coastal wetlands and sea grass beds are all threatened, the report said.
"Studies warn that at the current rates of degradation, the region's coral reefs face total collapse within 20 years, while mangroves could be gone within 30 years," it added.
Large areas of mangrove in Indonesia and Vietnam have been removed to make way for shrimp farms or to convert into farmland, the report said.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-10-16T151250Z_01_PEK96751_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENVIRONMENT-ASIA.xml&WTmodLoc=SciNewsHome_C1_%5bFeed%5d-2
Although millions of people have been lifted out of poverty by economic development over the last 15 years, the impact of rapid growth on the environment has been severe, said the policy brief from the United Nations Environment Program, a copy of which was seen by Reuters on Monday. "Growing populations and their migration to coastal areas, dynamic economic growth, and rising global demands for fishery and aquatic products ... have combined to exert tremendous pressure on East Asia's marine environment and coastal resources," it said.
Fisheries, mangrove swamps, reefs, coastal wetlands and sea grass beds are all threatened, the report said.
"Studies warn that at the current rates of degradation, the region's coral reefs face total collapse within 20 years, while mangroves could be gone within 30 years," it added.
Large areas of mangrove in Indonesia and Vietnam have been removed to make way for shrimp farms or to convert into farmland, the report said.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-10-16T151250Z_01_PEK96751_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENVIRONMENT-ASIA.xml&WTmodLoc=SciNewsHome_C1_%5bFeed%5d-2