The State of Asia Pacific Coral and Marine Ecosystems and their Economic Value

Eleanor CarterSecond Asian Judges Symposium on Environment,

Manila, December 2013

Critical Marine Ecosystems in Asia Pacific

Coral Reefs Seagrass Mangroves

Engines of the Ocean

• Nursery for > 25% of all marine life globally• Cover < 1% of ocean• Asia Pacific has highest diversity and productivity

Southeast Asia

Highest population dependency on reef systemsCoral Triangle ~ 1/3 of worlds coral reefs

Essential Natural Capital

• Fisheries & Food Security• Tourism & Recreation • Resilience against Climate Change• Defense system for Coastal Development• Medicines

Fisheries & Food Security• Southeast Asia coral reef fisheries = US$2.4 billion / year (WRI, 2002)

• Coastal fisheries resources in the Coral Triangle (2010) - (ADB, 2013)- supported livelihoods & food security for > 373 million people - contributed 11.3% (19.1 tns) of all global capture fisheries and aquaculture production. - provides 1.2% to 6.8% of GDP in CT6 nations

• Av. 36% of protein needs (up to 80% in remote / rural locations) (CRA,2013)

• Indonesia - 95% harvest from artisanal fishers (FAO, 2013)

Tourism & Recreation

• High value habitats for tourism

• Reef associated tourism - up to 30% of national export earnings AP

(World Bank, 2010)

• $18 billion USD / yr generated in the Coral Triangle

Resilience against Climate Change

• Blue Carbon – 60% of global potential in Asia and Oceania Est. $10-$20/ton value under EU Emissions Trading Scheme (Siikamaki et al.,

2012)

• Defenses against storm-surges

Defense system for Coastal Development

Coral reefs mitigate 75-95 % of wave energy (Brander et al., 2004)

Example: Loss of 11 & 2% (respectively) of the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea coastlines is equivalent to loss of US$156 million real estate value

(World Bank 2006).

Medicines• Prospects of new

medicines 300-400 times greater than terrestrial ecosystems (Bruckner, 2006)

• Japan investing up to $1 billion research each year

Treatments currently available for: CANCER, ARTHRITUS, ASTHMA,

ULCERS, BACTERIAL INFECTIONS, HEART DISEASE, VIRUSES, etc etc

Overall Economic Value of Resources

Example: Malacca Straits coral reefs = ‘combined’ economic value of US$ 563 million (WRI, 2011)

© 2013 The Coral Reef Alliance

Status of Natural Capital

Rapidly declining habitats & resources

75% reefs globally under threat (WRI, 2011)

20% world mangroves destroyed“.. stocks of all species currently fished for food are predicted to collapse by 2048.” (Worm et al, 2006)

Asia Pacific

• Threats “..most severe in Southeast Asia”

• 95% reefs threatened

• 50% classified as ‘high’ or ‘very high’ threat status

(WRI,2011)

Causes of decline

• Habitat removal / destruction

• Pollution• Sedimentation• Overfishing• Destructive Fishing• Climate change

Top Threats

Est. net economic loss from blast fishing in Indonesia ~ US$570 million over the next 20 years

(WRI,2011)

Overfishing & Destructive Fishing

Challenges of fisheries management & enforcement

• Licensing• Regulating &

enforcing sustainable catch quota’s

• Enforcing protected areas (refuge’s for breeding stock)

Habitat removal / destructionEx: Loss of original mangrove cover by early 1990’s

•Malaysia ~ 75% •Thailand ~ 84 %•Vietnam ~ 37 %•Myanmar ~ 75% •Philippines ~ 67 %•Brunei ~ 20 %•Indonesia ~ 55%(Burke, 2001)

Anticipated net benefits & losses2002 - 2022

WRI, 2002

SummaryCoral and marine ecosystems

• Critical habitats for livelihoods, health and economy of nations• Under considerable threat – declining rapidly• Appropriate Legal & Judicial frameworks critical to sustain

natural capital• Urgent need to close the gap between policy, legislation,

implementation & enforcement

Thank you

Eleanor CarterSecond Asian Judges Symposium on Environment,

Manila, December 2013