By Graham Land – Asian Correspondent
The
centuries-old international dispute over islands in the South China Sea has
taken on an environmental aspect, as biologists weigh in over activities
including the building of artificial islands, land reclamation and dredging of
the sea floor.
A
sad history and an uncertain future
China,
Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and the Philippines all have conflicting
claims over the territory, including the Spratly and Paracel Islands and the
Scarborough Shoal. In addition to its major shipping routes and fishing
grounds, it is believed that there may be vast untapped mineral resources in
the South China Sea.
The
conflict has long been a political sticking point between involved countries,
with China largely being the belligerent power, particularly against Vietnam
and the Philippines. For example, China seized the Paracel Islands from Vietnam
in 1974, killing 70 Vietnamese troops, and a further 60 sailors during another
conflict with Vietnam in 1988 over the Spratly Islands.
The
Philippines takes China to court
The
Philippines is currently pursuing a court case against China in order to stop
land reclamation of disputed islands. China has stated that it will not participate in any
international hearing and that it prefers bilateral negotiations with the
Philippines.
Recently
at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, the
Philippines argued in front of a tribunal that there is a strong case against
China for irreversibly damaging the ecology of the South China Sea (also known
as the West Philippine Sea). The Philippines contends that China has operated
within the Southeast Asian country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), harvesting
endangered species, destroying coral reefs and participating in destructive
fishing practices.
"Subsequent
events, including China’s acceleration of massive land reclamation activities,
which it has undertaken – and continues to undertake – in blatant disregard of
the Philippines rights’ in its EEZ and continental shelf, and at tremendous
cost to the marine environment in violation of UNCLOS – only serve to reconfirm
the need for judicial intervention." —
Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario (via Rappler)
An
expert biologist weighs in
Regardless
of which power lays claim to the islands, the environmental concern, according
to Professor John McManus — a marine biologist and expert on the ecology of the
South China Sea — is that activities such as dredging used to create artificial
islands may be burying coral reefs in sediment, thereby destroying these
vibrant and vital marine ecosystems. Despite already being overfished, the
unique currents of the South China Sea have provided respite by replenishing
depleted stocks with larval fish from the reefs each season.
But
China’s activities in the area may put these invaluable reefs at risk, which
could affect regional food security.
From
an article in the Guardian:
Dredgers
sweep back and forth, creating clam shell patterns in the sand that are clearly
visible by satellite. In the process, they destroy whatever lives there,
including reef-building organisms, turtles and giant clams, while sending up
plumes of corrosive sand and sediment that settle on surrounding reefs, killing
them, McManus explains. For the many scientists who are predicting that coral
reefs globally are in danger of disappearing by as early as the middle of the
century due to bleaching, ocean acidification and rising seas, the reclamation
is comparable to switching off an ailing patient’s life support.
McManus’s
solution would be to put a stop to development and regulate fishing in the Sea
in order to protect these ecosystems that are so important for providing fish
to millions of people. He believes that since China has already staked its
claim on the area, it would do better to protect its ecology rather than
destroy it.
Photo:
A protester delivers his message during a rally in front of the Chinese
consulate Friday, May 11, 2012 in Manila (AP Photo/Pat Roque)
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