The Dongsha atoll is home to a variety of marine creatures, especially fish that contribute to human needs, former Construction and Planning Agency Director Lee Wu-hsiung stated in a publication titled "Dongsha--An Introduction to Dongsha Marine National Park, Taiwan." He stressed that the establishment of the national park was meant to preserve the coral and maintain sustainable development in the nearby waters.
"The coral reef provides a diverse ecological environment and hosts more than half of the existing marine species in the world. Consequently, scientists claim this coral reef is a 'Life Bank,'" Lee said, pointing out that the United Nations and many countries are taking active roles to protect coral reefs because they are crucial to the livelihood of sea animals.
In keeping with the international trend, Taiwan's Executive Yuan established the Dongsha Marine National Park in 2007. The total area is more than 353,600 hectares, nearly 25 kilometers in diameter and waters of up to 20 meters in depth. The park is composed of the main island of Dongsha, the atoll and surrounding waters. The island stays above water during flood tides like the mouth of a volcano in the sea, Wu Hsiang-chien, director of the National Parks Division in CPA, said Aug. 16. He mentioned that Dongsha is the largest natural atoll in the South China Sea, and it lies 450 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung City.
People are extremely cautious about reconstructing the natural habitat on the island because it is under the threat of development, Wu said. "There used to be a lot of natural fertilizer on the island," he added, referring to excrement from birds, "but this decreased when it served as a military base."
As a result, the national park staff is dedicated to preserving many species of animals. Birds like little terns, turnstones and gull-billed terns can be found among the 134 species of seabirds and migratory birds identified on the island. Low bushes, shrubs and tropical vines make up the majority of the 168 different plant species and offer shelter to birds. Dongsha also plays an important role as a nesting ground for sea turtles. When walking on the beach, the homes of invertebrates like mud crabs, hermit crabs and starfish can be seen on the shoreline. "If not for human interference, there would be even more species and a large population of sea animals," Wu admitted.
The island was renowned for its beautiful coral reefs before being damaged by pollution. The most serious threat comes from destructive fishing practices. A 2007 report published by the Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in the College of Science at National Taiwan University indicated that between 1994 and 1998, nearly 8,000 boats were recorded fishing near Dongsha, and the vessels dumped around 50 tons of cyanide and one ton of dynamite into the sea annually. In addition, nine tons of mercury batteries were discarded in the area.
"These vessels used a variety of destructive fishing methods, including gill nets, dynamite and cyanide," Professor Lee Pei-fen stated in the report. These methods took a toll on the ecosystem, and the destruction of the coral reef resulted in the declining fish population. Fishermen from China, Vietnam and other countries were the major culprits, he said.
"When the coral reef grows, the fish, filamentous and algae cluster to form a natural food chain," Wu said. "When the coral ecosystem grows back, the life bank will re-emerge."
The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium published a report in 2007 about how the park staff restored the coral reef through transplantation and explained their methods in detail.
First, park employees chose the coral's original source of growth to be the transplant site. Conservationists removed pieces of coral from other reefs and took them to the transplant site. Afterward, they attached the fragments onto the coral roots. The success rate differed from site to site, depending on the ocean currents, quality of water, species of coral and other factors.
Fortunately, Fan Tung-yung, a researcher who participated in the project, indicated in the report that the damaged staghorn coral in the western Dongsha Island started to recover, and the small newborn coral coexisted with the middle-sized coral. Since staghorn coral is the major species in the area, Fan recommended designating the western part of the island as a nature reserve to continue inspecting the coral's progress.
Protecting the coral reefs from bleaching by global warming and human destruction is an important task for the marine park. Bleaching is the process when coral starts to die out, leaving only white rocks. Success would only happen if everyone did their part. As a result, educating the general public became increasingly important.
"Many people do not know that fish are wild animals, like bears in a mountain. We should protect fish before they go extinct," Wu said. Currently, researchers are evaluating the possibility of opening up the park to ecotourism. The vast marine area would have designated diving and fishing areas. For those longing for peace and quiet, Dongsha offers spots where people can walk along the beach at sunset.
In this way, the visitors could see schools of fish gathering near the coral reefs, which attracted migratory birds. Vibrant wildlife would complete the picture of Dongsha as a jewel in the ocean. The jade bracelet would shine with encrusted diamonds made up of vigorous living animals.
Write to Sandra Shih at sandrashih@mail.gio.gov.tw