How our team supports coral reef protection in Myanmar

Marine biologist Karenne Tun from our Environment and Ecology Department has been invited by the renowned conservation organisation Flora and Fauna International to support Myanmar’s first coral reef monitoring programme. Karenne will conduct a coral reef survey training workshop for Myanmar marine biologists and government officials, which will be held in Phuket, Thailand, from November 21 to 27. A field expedition to the Myeik Archipelago in Southern Myanmar will follow in January 2013.

With her work, Karenne will help in establishing Myanmar's first coral reef monitoring programme within the Kyunsu Township in the Myeik Archipelago. The work will be conducted as part of Karenne's continued role as the SEA regional coordinator for the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), and is supported by DHI Singapore.

The coral reefs of Myanmar and the Myeik Archipelago

The coral reefs of Myanmar are perhaps the least studied and documented reefs in the world. The Myeik Archipelago (also known as the Mergui Archipelago) consists of over 800 islets and contains 12,500 km2 of land and 1,700 km2 of coral reefs, including fringing reefs, submerged pinnacles and seamounts, limestone caves, sheer and sloping rock walls, and boulder-strewn sand bottoms with an unknown number of coral species. It is the prime diving destination in Myanmar.

While there is consensus that the coral reefs of Myanmar are generally in very good to excellent condition, concerns are also growing that increasing destructive fishing, including trawling and long-line fishing as well as blast fishing, threatens these precious ecosystems. A lack of legislation adds to the problem. Urgent action is needed to prevent the country’s coral reefs from declining to unsustainable levels. The present workshop will be an important building block in developing the necessary awareness and resources to protect Myanmar’s coral reefs before it is too late.