by W. Gladstone and R. Khuzaiym
Coralreefs are as much a part of Arabia’s natural heritage as the deserts and
bedu way of life. The entire Arabian peninsula is fringed by some of the
most beautiful coral reefs in the world, reefs which have been used by
seagoing Arabs for thousands of years. And like the animals and plants
of the desert which have successfully adapted to this extreme climate,
so have the Arabian coral reefs adapted to conditions not experienced by
coral reefs elsewhere, such as high water temperature and salinity.
Despite their adaptations to harsh conditions, coral reefs are sensitive
to unnatural disturbances, and the most destructive unnatural disturbances
are caused by humans. We smother coral reefs with sand from dredging, we
pollute them with sewage, oil and chemical wastes, and we overfish. Coral
reefs need our protection.
In the Red Sea we are fortunate that most coral reefs are healthy, apart
from some near the larger coastal cities and developments. The best way
to keep them in this excellent state of health is to act now by conserving
and protecting them.
One of the areas with a high priority for conservation in the Arabian
Red Sea is the Farasan Islands. These islands, numbering more than 120,
are fringed by beautiful coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves. The
waters are inhabited by important and endangered species such as turtles,
whales, dolphins and dugong. Most of the reefs are pristine and rarely
visited by outsiders. The beaches are used as nesting grounds by turtles,
and some are recognized as internationally and regionally important sites
for waterbirds. The Farasan Islands are also culturally important because
some traditional Saudi maritime activities still occur there and nowhere
else, such as artisanal fishing by Saudi nationals, pearl diving and the
annual gathering of harid parrotfish.
To protect this unique natural heritage the National Commission for
Wildlife Conservation and Development decided to establish a marine protected
area around the Farasan Islands. To conserve the marine environment of
the Farasan Islands we first needed accurate information about the marine
flora and fauna and the extent and impact of human activities.
During our surveys we discovered two human activities which had damaged
parts of the coral reefs – anchoring and clam collecting. A reef which
had been used by fishermen for many years had suffered from countless anchors
dropped amongst the coral to steady the boats whilst fishing. The area
is no longer used for fishing but the corals have never recovered their
former beauty. The seafloor is littered with the remains of smashed coral
branches, creating a colourless and lifeless landscape. Fishes which depend
upon the coral for their food and shelter, such as the beautiful butterflyfishes,
have disappeared.
Clams
were also collected from the same reef and sold in Farasan village. Populations
of marine animals can sustain some harvesting, but our surveys revealed
that in some places the clam populations had been reduced by as much as
50 per cent over a very short period of collecting. As this had been ongoing
for many years it was almost impossible on some parts of the reef to find
any living clams. Our old friends from Farasan village also told us that
the clams being sold in the village nowadays were much smaller than those
in the past, a first sign that too much collecting had occurred and the
ecology of the clams was suffering.
The collectors also appeared to be choosing the largest clams, which
is significant because of the unusual biology of clams. The largest clams
have functional male and female reproductive organs, whereas the smaller
clams have only the female organs (the male organs developing later in
life). Removing only the largest clams will leave a surviving population
dominated by females, limiting the ability of individuals to successfully
breed and replenish themselves. Clams also have a role to play as one of
the many species of animals which filter the seawater passing over the
coral reefs. The destruction of corals and the loss of clams could affect
the health of the reef and the animals and plants inhabiting it. Unfortunately,
clam collectors also contributed to the general degradation of the reef
by smashing corals to gain easy access to the clams.
Reefs recover naturally from disturbances, but it can be a slow process.
Corals replenish themselves by budding, and by sexual reproduction. Budding
can take many years to restore the coverage of coral, especialy if most
of the coral in an area was destroyed. In sexual reproduction eggs and
sperm are broadcast into the open water where the fertilized egg floats
for a few weeks before it swims to the bottom and begins its search for
a suitable vacant space on a reef (by the time it is ready to settle the
young coral has probably floated far away from its parental reef). In a
similar way clams broadcast their eggs and sperm into the open water, relying
on chance and the ocean currents to bring the two together to create a
fertilized egg which will develop into a young clam.
The reefs which had suffered from careless anchoring and excessive clam
collecting are in a sheltered bay far away from the streams of ocean currents.
As a result, the process of natural recruitment and recovery would be very
slow in this area. The Wildlife Commission therefore decided to assist
the natural recovery process and rehabilitate the area by transplanting
living corals and clams. Rehabilitation of coral reefs has been successfully
accomplished in other parts of the world following catastrophes such as
ship groundings, but we believe this is the first time that rehabilitation
was attempted in the Middle East.
Our rehabilitation work involved transplanting corals and clams from
healthy areas into the 
damaged
reefs. Several different species of corals were selected in an effort to
reconstruct the diverse coral community which existed there before the
anchors inflicted their damage. Corals were collected from over a large
area to avoid damage to another part of the reef. Branches were selected
and gently snapped. This does not permanently injure the remaining colony
or the branch, and the broken stump of the branch will weld naturally over
time to a clean rocky substrate, eventually growing into a large colony.
For the smaller species the whole colony was picked up and transplanted
to a secure lodging in the damaged area. The coral branches were secured
in place to ensure that the natural welding process began quickly and was
not disrupted by the movement of the coral.
We collected clams from a reef where they were abundant, being careful
to gather them from over a large area so that the local population would
not be depleted. This reef was far away from the damaged reef so we transported
them by car to their new home. They were handled gently and kept covered
and moist at all times to prevent drying-out. In the damaged area we positioned
the clams on the reef slope and the reef crest to replicate the original
distribution of clams in the area before it was disturbed. Clams are heavy
so we simply placed them on the bottom without securing them. Shortly after
arriving in their new home the clams were open and filtering seawater,
a good sign that they had survived their journey and had begun establishing
themselves. The work was hard and physical and we spent many days in the
water, but it was all worthwhile.
Without
further disturbance the populations of corals and clams will return to
their former levels. The area will be checked regularly to monitor the
progress of the rehabilitation. Of course, this is only half the solution.
These sorts of operations must be complemented by public education, especially
about careful anchoring (see box) and sustainable use to ensure that the
same problems do not happen again in the future.
Hints for environmentally friendly anchoring around
coral reefs
One of life’s great pleasures is exploring the clear, rich waters of
coral reefs and discovering the great diversity of animals and plants which
live there. Many people own boats and visit the reefs of the Red Sea and
Gulf at their leisure, or they join dive charter boats. The number of people
and boats visiting coral reefs is increasing every year, so the pressure
on coral reefs also increases, and there is only a limited number of reefs.
Continued use of the same area of a reef will lead to destruction of the
coral by anchors and eventually damage to the reef’s ecology – unless preventive
actions are adopted. And these actions do not mean restricting people’s
enjoyment.
One of the simplest ways that damage can be prevented
is by careful anchoring practices. Careful anchoring around coral reefs
does not mean unsafe anchoring. Here are a few guidelines.
* Plan your exploration beforehand and go with the weather – choose
the safest part of the reef, where the waves are smallest.
* Take a little extra time and look for the lighter coloured sand patches
(amidst the darker patches of reef which appear brown-green from the boat)
to lower your anchor onto, rather than lowering it directly on to the coral.
There are many sand patches around coral reefs and choosing one should
not severely limit your access. If you are diving in deep water lower the
anchor carefully and adjust it once you have reached the bottom.
* Use a sand anchor which will dig into the sand and provide a strong
hold.
* Let out sufficient rope so that the force of the boat rocking in swells
is taken up by the anchor rope. The rope should be atached to the anchor
by a long length of chain to prevent chafing on hard surfaces and the possible
loss of your boat
* Once you are in the water check the anchor first. Dig it deeper into
the sand if necessary, or move it so that the chain is not damaging nearby
corals. If there are no sand patches, then secure the anchor around a coral
head and clear the chain so that it will not damage surrounding corals
as the boat swings
* If you are moving the boat at the end of the dive loosen the anchor
before you surface so that it will come up easily and it will not be necessary
to drag it out with the force of the engines, which always damages a large
amount of coral
* One of the most effective ways of protecting a well visited coral
reef is to install a mooring to which you will tie up every time you visit
the reef and cause no extra damage to the coral. This technique is now
being used by commercial tour operators in many parts of the world as a
way of protecting their valuable resource.