#Status of Coral Reefs 2002 - International Coral Reef Action Network

8. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN EAST AND NORTH
ASIA: CHINA, JAPAN, KOREA AND TAIWAN
CHANG-FENG DAI, CHEN GANG, MAKOTO INABA, KENJI IWAO,
FUMIHITO IWASE, SHINICHIRO KAKUMA, KENJI KAJIWARA, TADASHI
KIMURA, YOSHIHIKO KOTERA, YOSHIKATSU NAKANO, SATOSHI NOJIMA,
KEIICHI NOMURA, KATSUKI OKI, KAZUHIKO SAKAI, TAKURO SHIBUNO,
HIROYA YAMANO AND MINORU YOSHIDA
ABSTRACT
These reefs are on the boundary of the Southeast Asian centre of biodiversity and share
many species and characteristics of reefs in this centre. After serious coral bleaching in
1998, most of the reefs are recovering in Japan and Taiwan, and possibly also in China.
However, more bleaching has occurred in Japan in July - September 2001. The southern
islands of Ryukyus, Japan experienced the most severe coral mortality of the region with
46-69% death. In addition, there appears to be a crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) outbreak
in Okinawa, Kerama and Amami Islands in 2001 and 2002. Sedimentation from terrestrial
run-off is still a major threat to corals in Japan and Taiwan, and mass mortality of Porites
corals caused by soil run-off was observed in 2001. The Japanese government established
an international coral reef centre on Ishigaki Island, in the southern islands of Okinawa in
2000 to facilitate coral reef monitoring, conservation in the region and to act as a Node for
the GCRMN. However, enhanced coordination is needed to build capacity in monitoring
and management for effective coastal resource conservation.
INTRODUCTION
The coral reefs of China, Taiwan and Japan lie just north of the global centre of
biodiversity for coral reefs, and those of Japan and Taiwan are influenced by the Kuroshio
current which carries coral reef larvae from this centre. Biodiversity is high towards the
south, but diminishes to the north, with reef coral growth ending adjacent to Tokyo.
These reefs are also at the centre of the largest human populations on earth, such that
many are under extreme pressure, which has resulted in major reef modification and
damage. This report summarises material presented in ‘Status of Coral Reefs of East and
North Asia: China, Japan, Taiwan’ by S. Fujiwara, T. Shibuno, K. Mito, T. Nakai, Y. Sasaki,
Dai C-F, and Chen G. in the Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000 report. It also
presents new data on the reefs and information on new coordination mechanisms for
coral reef monitoring in the region.
The major reefs of mainland China are on Hainan Island, to the north of the South China
Sea. Connections exist between these reefs and those of Vietnam and the Spratly
Archipelago in the South China Sea. Reef growth continues north from Hainan along the
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