23/02/2005 – The destruction
caused by the Asian tsunami to the environment
offers an opportunity to rebuild in a manner
that preserves natural resources for the benefit
of the local communities who were hardest
hit by the disaster, a new report by the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says.
According to the report — After the Tsunami:
Rapid Environmental Assessment — the environment
was both a victim of the tsunami but also
that it often played its part in reducing
the impact. Where healthy and relatively intact
features like coral reefs, mangroves, and
coastal vegetation were in place there is
evidence that the damage was reduced.
“The report underlines the importance of
managing the reconstruction in an environmentally
sensitive way," said UNEP Executive Director
Klaus Toepfer.
"There are innumerable reasons to maintain
healthy habitats like coral reefs. They are
nurseries fish and magnets for tourists. Now
we have another reason to conserve them."
The report, coordinated by UNEP’s Task Force,
was based on surveys by UNEP teams in the
field working with other UN agencies, governments,
and non-governmental organizations, including
WWF.
"We are delighted to be part of the
UNEP task force and contribute our expertise
to the efforts to promote green reconstruction,"
said Claude Martin, Director General of WWF
International.
"The tsunami reconstruction needs to
restore livelihoods and the natural environment
in a sustainable and safe way".
According to the report, the impact of the
tsunami varied enormously across and within
affected countries.
In Aceh region, North Sumatra Provinces and
the western islands of Indonesia an estimated
30 per cent of the nearly 100,000 hectares
of coral reefs were damaged, partly as a result
of the impact and partly due to materials,
ranging from vehicles and fuel tankers to
silt and mud, being dragged into the ocean.
Nearly a third of the 50,000ha of pre-tsunami
coastal forests of Aceh and North Sumatra
are estimated to have been damaged too.
Damage to coral reefs in the Seychelles was
generally low, with the exception of the St
Anne marine park where up to 27 per cent of
a reef at one sight being damaged. The Seychelles’s
small but important stands of mangroves amounting
to around 30 square kilometres were also impacted
mainly as a result of smothering of their
‘breathing roots’ by sand and silt.
Over 12 per cent of the coral reefs along
Thailand’s affected Andaman coast have been
‘significantly impacted’ with reefs in some
areas so badly affected, such as those in
the Mu Ko Surin National Park, that they may
soon be closed to tourists. Turtle projects
in Thailand have also been hit hard. For example
the breeding and conservation centre at Tap
Lamu Naval Base in Phang Nga Province is in
ruins and around 2,000 turtles have been lost.
Although more studies are needed, including
long-term monitoring of the affected countries,
the report offers several recommendations.
For most, if not all, the countries the immediate
priorities appear to be the condition and
rehabilitation of groundwater supplies, waste
management including safe disposal of rubble,
construction materials and hazardous wastes,
and restoring livelihoods in the agricultural
and fisheries sector.
Apart from the consideration of ‘no build’
or restricted build zones in the coastal zones,
government and local communities should also
consider restoring mangrove forests and traditional
forms of fish and shrimp farming.
Simply re-instating intensive fish and shrimp
aquaculture systems of the kind that have
become economically popular in recent years
may be a mistake, says the report.
Meanwhile, the recovery and rebuilding process
offers a ‘clear opportunity’ for sustainable
energy generation based on wind, solar and
tidal. Replanting coastal forests is another
proposal, as they take the 'sting' out of
aggressive waves and offer other benefits
including incomes for local people.
Notes:
• The report, coordinated by UNEP’s Task
Force and based on surveys by UNEP teams in
the field working with other UN agencies,
governments, and non-governmental organizations,
including WWF, is being released at UNEP’s
23rd Governing Council/Global Ministerial
Environment Forum where some 100 environment
ministers have gathered from 21–25 February
in Nairobi, Kenya, for their annual talks.
• The report covers Indonesia, the Maldives,
Somalia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Seychelles,
and Yemen.
