Seagrass-Watch Magazine Issue 47 - March 2013 | Page 23

Seagrass meadows
are extensive
throughout the
Wakatobi, some
stretching for several
kilometres, they are
also highly
productive and an
important source of
carbon for adjacent
systems.

Tomia Island: Mixed shallow water seagrass and reef habitats typical of
those in the Wakatobi under threat from coral mining.

These impacts are in addition to the currently recognised direct
anthropogenic impacts such as those from the discharge of
domestic waste and the associated reduction of water quality,
increased sedimentation and nutrient loading, mechanical
damage from boats, and overexploitation of seagrass fauna.
The environmental effects of excess nutrients or sediments are
commonly considered the most widespread and significant
causes of seagrass decline, however, recently, greater attention
has focused on the role of top-down control in seagrass declines
and outlined the impact of overfishing. Overexploitation is of
particular concern within the Wakatobi region where seagrass
meadows offer an easily exploitable and abundant food source
for local people. Both Bajo and Pulo fishers have resorted to
exploitation of marine resources using more efficient methods
due to the need for more economically profitable catches,
sometimes using both cyanide and bombing techniques.

PE

The use of cyanide and bombs by fishers in the Wakatobi
reportedly began in the 1940's and is not restricted to coral reefs
but is also used as a method within seagrass meadows. The use of
static fishing gear, fish fences (known locally as sero) is also of
concern. Both coral and sand is mined in the region for
infrastructure construction and repair, the demand for which
appears to be increasing with an increasing population and
influxes of developmental government funding to the region, and
with knock on impacts for water quality.

MARCH 2013

23