Coral Triangle at risk: new report highlights fossil fuel threats and impacts on biodiversity and communities

Coral Triangle at risk: new report highlights fossil fuel threats and impacts on biodiversity and communities

Sub: Geo

Sec: Oceanography 

The Coral Triangle:

• The Coral Triangle, often called the “Amazon of the seas,” spans over 10 million square kilometres across Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and the Solomon Islands.
• It is home to 76% of the world’s coral species and supports the livelihoods of over 120 million people.

Report Highlights at COP16

• Event: 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on October 26
• Report Title: Coral Triangle at Risk: Fossil Fuel Threats and Impacts by Earth Insight and SkyTruth

Fossil Fuel Impact on the Coral Triangle:

• Current Activities:
  • Over 100 offshore oil and gas blocks are operational, covering 120,000 square kilometers (1% of the Triangle)
  • 450+ blocks under exploration, potentially impacting 1.6 million square kilometers (16% of the Triangle)
• Critical Habitats Threatened:
  • Coral reefs: 24% affected
  • Seagrass areas: 22% affected
  • Mangroves: 37% affected
• Oil Pollution:
  • 793 oil slicks have been detected since 2020, mostly from bilge dumping by ships, impacting 24,000 square kilometers.
  • Notable Spill: The Princess Empress oil spill (2023) affected over 20 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and 21,000 families, with damages estimated at 3.8 billion Philippine pesos (~$68.3 million).
• LNG Infrastructure Expansion:
  • $30 billion invested in LNG terminals from 2016 to 2022; 19 LNG terminals are active, with more planned.

Key Environmental Threats from Fossil Fuel Expansion:

• Noise Pollution: Disrupts marine life, especially species like whales and dolphins that depend on sound.
• Habitat Overlaps:
  • 16% of MPAs overlap with oil and gas blocks, threatening 80 fully-covered MPAs.
  • 15 of the 19 LNG terminals are within 10 kilometers of sensitive habitats.
• Water Pollution: Wastewater from LNG terminals contains chemicals that can trigger toxic algal blooms and degrade water quality.

Impact on Local Communities

• Oil spills and fossil fuel infrastructure disrupt livelihoods, particularly for fisherfolk and coastal residents.
• Health Risks: Residents near spills experience nausea, dizziness; toxic fumes have led to school closures.
• Cultural Threats: In South Bali, LNG projects are seen as a risk to indigenous sites and cultural heritage.

Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSA):

• PSSA is an area that needs special protection through action by IMO because of its significance for recognised ecological or socio-economic or scientific reasons and which may be vulnerable to damage by international maritime activities.
• The criteria for the identification of particularly sensitive sea areas and the criteria for the designation of special areas are not mutually exclusive.
• In many cases a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area may be identified within a Special Area and vice versa.
• Criteria for designating an area as PSSA:
  • Ecological criteria, such as unique or rare ecosystem, diversity of the ecosystem or vulnerability to degradation by natural events or human activities;
  • Social, cultural and economic criteria, such as significance of the area for recreation or tourism; and
  • Scientific and educational criteria, such as biological research or historical value.
• When an area is approved as a particularly sensitive sea area, specific measures can be used to control the maritime activities in that area, such as routeing measures, strict application of MARPOL discharge and equipment requirements for ships, such as oil tankers; and installation of Vessel Traffic Services (VTS).
• List of adopted PSSAs:
  • The Great Barrier Reef, Australia (designated a PSSA in 1990)
  • The Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago in Cuba (1997)
  • Malpelo Island, Colombia (2002)
  • The sea around the Florida Keys, United States (2002)
  • The Wadden Sea, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands (2002)
  • Paracas National Reserve, Peru (2003)
  • Western European Waters (2004)
  • Extension of the existing Great Barrier Reef PSSA to include the Torres Strait (proposed by Australia and Papua New Guinea) (2005)
  • Canary Islands, Spain (2005)
  • The Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador (2005)
  • The Baltic Sea area, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden (2005)
  • The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, United States (2007)
  • The Strait of Bonifacio, France and Italy (2011)
  • The Saba Bank, in the North-eastern Caribbean area of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (2012)
  • Extension of Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait to encompass the south-west part of the Coral Sea (2015)
  • The Jomard Entrance, Papua New Guinea (2016)
  • Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, the Sulu Sea, Philippines (2017)
  • North-Western Mediterranean Sea, France, Italy, Monaco and Spain (2023)