Coastal overdevelopment and pollution threats to coral reefs in Sanya
The 85-square-kilometer Sanya Coral Reef National Natural Reserve is currently threatened by the local overdevelopment of coast and pollution largely from increased human activity.
The 85-square-kilometer Sanya Coral Reef National Natural Reserve reef is currently threatened by the local overdevelopment of the coast and pollution largely a result of increased human activity.
At present, more than half of the city’s shoreline has been used for development and construction. The booming property development is turning the beautiful coastline into a concrete jungle full of hotels and development zones, which is making the problem difficult to tackle.
The other threat to reefs comes from the human activities. As a large number of people live on or near the coast, the pollutants directly discharged into the water cause nutrient overload, which has put the reefs’ ecosystems at risk.
A study showed that in past 30 years the coral cover off Hainan coast fell from 60% to 20%.
An insider of Hainan environmental conservation committee said the increasingly vulnerable condition for coral reefs will cause unpredictable damage to Hainan’s ecology and biodiversity.