by HEATHER-LYNN EVANSON THE BEAUTIFUL CORAL REEFS fringing and protecting the island's West Coast are dead. Those on the South Coast are barely alive. And, said James Blades, environmental activist and a founding member of the Barbados Marine Trust, if the island is to save its beautiful, white sandy beaches, the immediate implementation of a number of initiatives is necessary. Reefs produce sand and also protect beaches from wave energy. They also act as containment for the sand, preventing it from being washed away. "The fringing reefs around the South and West Coast are virtually dead. The fringing reefs are virtually wiped out. The South Coast is improving somewhat because of the implementation of the South Coast Sewerage Project, but the West Coast is 100 per cent dead," he revealed. "One of the most critically important components for generating our foreign exchange is the health of our beaches. If we don't have nice, pristine, healthy beaches, we stand to lose that foreign investment over time," Blades told the WEEKEND NATION. The environmentalist said the situation was further compounded by the effect global warming had on the ocean's waters. "We might be losing the chance to save our own reefs because of the global warming situation - sea level rise is a reality, oceans are heating up. Corals cannot stand a greater than one- or two-degree increase or they die, so the situation is really grim," he said. As a result, Blades has called for a number of initiatives, including the Marine Management Agency, the Holetown Infrastructure Project, the West Coast Beach and Reef Restoration Project, which are already in the pipeline, to be implemented immediately. "In order to effectively manage our coastline we need an agency whose specific focus is the management of marine resources," he said. Director of the Coastal Zone Management Unit (CZMU), Dr Leo Brewster, admitted the reefs "were stressed" as a result of "terrestrial run-off" coming from the land. He added that plans, including quarterly water quality testing by CZMU, had been initiated to stabilise the reefs. Please see also Pages 16 and 17.
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