Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2000

Status of Coral Reefs of the Southern Indian Ocean
coral rubble. Reef walking by fishermen at low tide causes extensive damage to reef flat corals
as they hunt for octopus and trap small fish. Intense over-fishing by over 4,500 fishermen (80%
of the total) using traditional boats to fish in nearshore waters has been a continuing but growing
problem for many years, and has caused major reef destruction. As in many countries, domestic
wastes are discharged directly into the sea and result in the massive proliferation of algae
(eutrophication) adjacent to the discharges. In addition, household refuse is dumped directly
into the sea in the Comoros. The extraction of sand from beaches for building has caused
coastal erosion and lead to imbalances in the ecosystems. Moreover, upstream deforestation
and poor agricultural practices result in soil erosion and downstream smothering of corals.
Madagascar
The extraction of coral for building is a major problem in Madagascar, for example in the
vicinity of Toliara continued, extensive removal of corals will result in large areas of the reef
be totally destroyed within 2 years. There is an urgent need for legislation to limit or
prohibit coral extraction. Although there are no data on subsistence fishing, recent studies
in Toliara (a town with 140,000 inhabitants and high unemployment) show that family
fishing from the shore, and gleaning on the reef flat is a common occupation, and
sometimes provides a full-time livelihood. This type of fishing removes an estimated at 18mt km 2 yr -1 ,
higher than for dugout fishing (12mt km 2 yr -1 ), and exceeds the regeneration capacity of the
reef. Fish and octopus are over-exploited, and this has resulted in a shift towards less
favoured species such as sea urchins. In order to reduce these fishing pressures on the reef
flat, several Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) have been anchored out at sea to permit
catches of pelagic species. This is not an option for most areas of Madagascar, because
deep waters are very close to the coast. There is an urgent need to decrease fishing
pressures on reef resources and install more FADs for fishermen with dugouts and provide
gill nets for selected fishermen.
Madagascar continues to be a minor tourist destination in the region, despite having
exceptional potential with coral reefs and a beautiful coastline. Of the 3,040 hotel rooms
available in 1995, only one third were on the coast and Nosy-Be, with approximately 200
rooms, is Madagascar’s main coastal resort. The Government intends to make coastal
tourism a key sector in future economic activity suggesting that visitor numbers of 75,000 in
1995, could triple in the next 5 years. This is however, a long way from the ecotourism
policy encouraged by the ANGAP (National Agency for the Management of Protected
Areas) in the adjacent Parks. It is highly likely that ecotourism will be limited to the vicinity
of protected areas, while major hotel complexes built with international finance will be
built along the rest of the coast. Tourism can therefore act as a catalyst for reef protection,
as illustrated by a hotel manager near Toliara who asked local fishermen to decrease fishing
on neighbouring tourist reefs, in exchange for the purchase of most of their production.
Mauritius
A million tons of coral sand are extracted annually from the lagoon to fill the high demand
created by rapid economic growth. The value of this mining is about US$10 million and
involves employment for 1,100 people, grouped in co-operatives. Sand is extracted from
the shallows by hand and transported in dugout canoes. Mining is conducted in 4 zones:
Mahebourg, Grande Riviere Sud-Est and Roches Noires/Poudre d’Or lagoons on Mauritius;
and Rodrigues island. Although there is no legislation prohibiting the mining, the extractors
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