February 15 ------ Over 7,000 acres (28.3 sq km) of coral reefs equivalent to almost 4,000 football fields have been destroyed by five South China Sea claimants based on an analysis of satellite images, according to a report published by a US think tank. The report by the Centre for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) released last month, listed China and Vietnam among the worst offenders whose dredging and landfill activities had caused “irreparable and long-term changes to the overall structure and health of the reef”. Of the claimants, China was responsible for about 65 per cent of the reef damage followed by Vietnam at 33 per cent, according to the CSIS.
Marine conservationists say China’s land reclamation efforts in the South China Sea involving dredging and building artificial islands atop coral reefs have caused significant ecological damage. As such, they argue that multilateral environmental agreements are key to holding China and other countries responsible for protecting the marine environment.
A separate CSIS report published in late 2023 said coral reefs were “one of the most vital ecosystems in the South China Sea”, with the waterway accounting for a sizeable proportion of such species found around the world. The report warned about the impact of activities carried out by the South China Sea claimants, including China and Vietnam. “To build outposts that support their competing claims in the South China Sea, claimants have engaged in dredging and land fill across the region. This has destroyed vast areas of the South China Sea’s coral reef ecosystems over the last 10 years,” the report said.
In response to the 2023 CSIS report, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines said on its website in February 2024: “This think tank concocted the false report by citing a few satellite images and stirring up falsified allegations from years ago. Such a report is neither factual nor verifiable. Why are they so obsessed with harping on the same string?” The embassy added that China had “always attached great importance to the protection and ecological environment of the Nansha Islands and Reefs and their adjacent waters, and carried out environmental protection and monitoring work in accordance with domestic and international laws”.
Source: channelnewsasia.com
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