1. The State of Asia Pacific Coral and Marine Ecosystems and their Economic Value
Eleanor Carter
Second Asian Judges Symposium on Environment,
Manila, December 2013

2. Critical Marine Ecosystems in Asia Pacific
Coral Reefs
Seagrass
Mangroves

3. Engines of the Ocean Nursery for > 25% of all marine life globally
Cover < 1% of ocean
Asia Pacific has highest diversity and productivity

4. Southeast Asia
Highest population dependency on reef systems Coral Triangle ~ 1/3 of worlds coral reefs

5. Essential Natural Capital
Fisheries & Food Security
Tourism & Recreation
Resilience against Climate Change
Defense system for Coastal Development
Medicines

6. 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)

7. 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

8. 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

9. Defense system for Coastal Development
Coral reefs mitigate % 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).

10. Treatments currently available for:
Medicines
Prospects of new medicines 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

11. Overall Economic Value of Resources
© 2013 The Coral Reef Alliance
Example: Malacca Straits coral reefs = ‘combined’ economic value of US$ 563 million (WRI, 2011)

12. Status of Natural Capital

13. 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)

14. Asia Pacific Threats “..most severe in Southeast Asia”
95% reefs threatened
50% classified as ‘high’ or ‘very high’ threat status
(WRI,2011)

15. Causes of decline Habitat removal / destruction Pollution
Sedimentation
Overfishing
Destructive Fishing
Climate change

16. Top Threats Overfishing & Destructive Fishing
Est. net economic loss from blast fishing in Indonesia ~ US$570 million over the next 20 years
(WRI,2011)

17. Challenges of fisheries management & enforcement
Licensing
Regulating & enforcing sustainable catch quota’s
Enforcing protected areas (refuge’s for breeding stock)

18. Habitat removal / destruction
Ex: 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)

19. Anticipated net benefits & losses 2002 - 2022
WRI, 2002

20. Summary Coral 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

21. Thank you Eleanor Carter Second Asian Judges Symposium on Environment,
Manila, December 2013