Massive coral death after an earthquake in Indonesia

A strong earthquake in Indonesia's Sumatra Islands two years ago caused mass death of corals. The earthquake then killed nearly 1,000 people on Nias Island, off the west coast of the Sumatra Islands.

Conducting a survey of 35 locations on the coast, scientists - from the US-based Wildlife Conservation Fund and the Australian Center for Coral Research (ARCCoERS) - found the earthquake lifted. Simeulue island (near Nias) reaches 1.2 m, revealing most of the corals around the island.

'Contrary to other threats, no coral raised by this earthquake can survive,' said scientist Stuart Campbell of Indonesia's Wildlife Conservation Agency. But Campbell also said that in some locations in Simeulue, coral is showing signs of recovery.

And Dr. Andrew Baird of the ARCCoERS said that the earthquake created a unique opportunity for scientists to study such a strange phenomenon, "promising scientists a new perspective on the recovery process." of coral that we only know until now based on fossil corals'.

Indonesia is one of the countries with the richest coral environment in the world, but many places are also affected by human activities. The government has banned the use of chemicals such as cyanide and bombs to catch fish, but these activities continue in many parts of the country, including more than 17,000 islands.

The earthquake off Sumatra caused mass death of corals
(Artwork from Coralcoe.org.au)

T.VY