Coral reefs dying due to ocean warming
If high temperatures persist, the coral reefs are unlikely to survive. Since 2014, the long El Niño event*, that lasted three years, has killed or threatened 70% of the world’s coral reefs.
The demise of the coral has turned the emerald sea to a murky gray color. Fish that have lost their age-old habitat have disappeared, travelers have gone elsewhere, and the locals have run out of food.
* The El Niño phenomenon refers to a phenomenon in which the temperature of seawater rises due to poor circulation of the ocean currents caused by a periodic change in the pattern of trade winds.
But it isn’t just El Niño that is killing the coral reefs. To make matters worse, the overfishing of marine species has exacerbated the decline of coral reefs.
As the world’s population has burgeoned, humans consume more food, and we are catching enough fish to disrupt marine ecosystems. Now refuse from the fishing industry has begun to clog the seas where the fish have disappeared.
Just as an uninhabited house becomes a dilapidated ruin, a coral reef without fish turns into a wasteland.
Let’s save our coral reefs! “Sea Women of Melanesia”
An organization in Australia is taking action to salvage the coral reefs.
This organization, the Colar Sea Foundation, has established marine sanctuaries* to manage fish populations.
“The Sea Women of Melanesia“
This program educates women on scuba diving and how to use underwater cameras and GPS to help protect coral reefs. The women are paid fair wages as regular employment.
* A marine sanctuary is a protected area where the use of current resources is restricted to prevent the depletion of future reserves so that sufficient marine ecosystem resources will be available for the next generation.
The Melanesia region, where Sea Women operates, is famous for some of the most beautiful corals in the world.
These women roam the ocean and work hard with their underwater cameras. In addition, the number of fish and the degree of bleaching of coral reefs are converted into data according to standard benchmarks, which in turn is presented as the basis for designating a marine protected area.
Women who manage the sea with finesse
Free-for-all fishing activity is restricted in areas designated as marine sanctuary.
Naturally, the fishermen are displeased to have restrictions imposed on fishing.
However, with Sea Women’s management, reckless overfishing has been curtailed, and fish that had been dwindling one by one have begun to return. First of all, the blue scaly sea bream has returned. The rebound of blue scaly sea bream has helped the coral recover by scraping the microbes off the coral reef suffering from bleaching. As the coral reef recovers, the symbiotic algae return, and as the symbiotic algae return, more fish began to thrive.
The symbiotic relationship between coral reefs and fish has been restored.
The seas of Melanesia are again a vibrant marine ecosystem. A strong trust has been established between fishermen and Sea Women. In the beautiful emerald sea, there are colorful coral reefs and colorful fish, with Sea Women swimming among them.
The path of coexistence between nature and humans
There are over 600 tribes in Melanesia using different languages and embracing different values. The strong male-dominated tribes have been in constant conflict. In particular, women traditionally at the bottom of the tribal hierarchy were uneducated and defenseless, exposed to conflict and violence.
But after receiving education through “Sea Women of Melanesia,” the women’s self-image and roles have changed. With women doing their part, conflicts in the villages have subsided. The villages with Sea Women have begun to share their lives with one another, exchanging ways of fishing and recipes for cooking. The government has also started to resurrect from a state of conflict among tribes with both hands up to a cooperative, synergetic community.
Women saved the fish; fish saved the coral reefs. And revived natural biome is creating an environment that is beneficial to humans once more.
A path of symbiosis between nature and humans was created by women in Melanesia! Isn’t that the path we should all follow?
