The coral bleaching from different perspectives

Introduction
Coral reefs are highly productive ecosystem that also habitats for coastal animals and offer services to human communities (Kubicek, Muhando and Reuter 2012, p. 1). Coral reefs are places for many fishes and other living creatures in the sea to hide and live. Coral reefs also have a huge impact to human communities. Coral reefs and the beauty of living creatures that live within them have become major attraction for tourist and income for local communities. Unfortunately, human activities have caused coral reefs destroyed because of activities such as overfishing, diving, chemical pollution, reef mining and many other things (Carey 2000, p. 147). This activities lead to coral bleaching, which will become danger for many creatures that live in it. The Great Barrier Reef has lost half of its half coral reef in the last 27 years, and 10 per cent of the damage is caused by coral bleaching (De'ath 2012). Coral bleaching however impact many perspectives. From science perspective, coral bleaching has been a threat for many coral species and fishes that lives in it for they are becoming extinct and destroyed (Kubicek, Muhando and Reuter 2012, p. 1). This will leads to the less variety of the coastal ecosystem riches and incur social and economic loss to its social community. Coral bleaching also have impacts to the indigenous people. Indigenous people have used coral reef and its resources as dependence for their food supply. When coral reefs are destroyed and its whole fish population lose their habitats, indigenous people will have less food supply. Coral reefs provide the ecosystem goods and services to many people in the world especially to local communities (Cesar et al cited in Mascia 2003, p. 630). Coral bleaching is a problem that is caused by nature and human; nothing can be done to solve the problem completely. But through prevention and precautions, coral reefs can be restored started from even the smallest awareness. This essay will discuss the impact of coral bleaching viewed from different perspectives and giving out the implementation of solution to this issue.

Science and social science
Coral reefs are the most vulnerable environments to climate change because they are constructed from unconsolidated sediments that can be easily affected by waves and natural disasters (Perry et al 2011, p. 3679). From science perspective, coral reefs are seen as major indicator to determine the stability of coastal ecosystem. Coral reefs formed by sediments that is get easily affected by future sea-level, environmental changes and human activities. When there are changes in the water composition which affected by pollution, the ecosystem will get damaged and contaminated with dangerous chemical. In Great Barrier Reef, Australia, it is proven that the degradation of coastal ecosystem has a connection with the changes in nutrients and pesticides (Kroon et al 2012, p. 167). The contamination caused by pesticides and pollution will increase the thickness of the water, and will also increase the nutrients that enhance growth of other organism which can harm coral reefs.
Global warming that has been a big issue all over the world and coral bleaching is one of the most important things to consider because it connects to all living creatures in the ocean. According to Fuentes et al (cited in Perry et al 2011, p. 3679) reef islands formed the only habitable land in some island in Indian and Pacific Ocean, and have been the only habitats for many endemic and threatened species and terrestrial amphibians, mammals and reptiles. Studies have shown that there is a positive relationship between the coral reef and the abundance and diversity of the fish populations (McClanahan and Arthur 2001, p. 559). Coral reefs have been used as the dwelling place of the reef fishes and other living creatures under the sea. When coral reefs have become a major dependence for coastal creatures, its stability and existence become an important issue to consider. Changes in volume, sediment, nutrients, and pollutants such as pesticides and heavy metals that are thrown into the water have disrupted the wholeness of coral reefs and the stability of coastal ecosystem (Kroon et al 2012, p. 167). Contaminated water composition will destroy coral reefs, and will also destroy the fish population that lives there. It is also proved that coral bleaching will lead to socioeconomic losses because of impacts to coastal fisheries, tourism and other ecosystem services (Cesar 2000 cited in Yeemin et al 2012).

Indigenous people
According to Oxford Dictionaries, indigenous means native people or people who are originated from particular place. Coral reefs are also plays important roles for indigenous people, people who are live near the shore and build their life there. Indigenous people are highly dependent on coastal ecosystem as their crutch on building their life (Vanderzwaag 2002, p. 171). Coastal ecosystem supports indigenous people' food fulfilment. Most Caribbean islands such as Jamaica have less terrestrial mammals so they are depend their lives to coastal ecosystem (Keegan and Wing cited in Hardt 2009, p. 144). Natives rely on fishing to get food. So this makes coral reefs have a role as the major dependence that supports indigenous peoples' life. However, the threats of chemicals in marine environment are seen as a problem that should be solved as soon as possible.

Coral disease, coral bleaching and degraded water quality caused by chemicals and pollution are seen as main factors of coral health degradation in Jamaica (Lapointe and Aronson et al cited in Keegan and Wing cited in Hardt 2009, p. 144). Because of coral bleaching, coral reefs no longer in healthy condition and will not be proper for fishes to live. Fishes will move away to other place or even extinct because they no longer have places to live and hide. This caused the fishes to be scarce, and indigenous people will no longer have enough food to support the community. However, sometimes the indigenous people themself caused the degradation of coral reefs. Reef-based fisheries are concentrated close to shore and sometimes it is poorly monitored and policed by government (McClanahan and Arthur 2001, p. 567). Increasing population of indigenous people will increase the demand of food that need to be provided by coastal ecosystem, and creates scarcity.

Local Community
Healthy coral reefs make many contributions to local coastal communities. Coral reefs help reducing erosive impacts of waves in coastal zone, and supporting local communities by providing a good fishing community (Sudara et al cited in Worachananant et al 2008, p. 646). It keeps coastal zone stays as it is and be able to keep supporting local communities. However local communities also get benefits from the rapid globalization that enables them to enhance incomes through tourism. Based on Worachananant (2008, p. 646), 80 per cent of tourists that come to Thailand are attracted to see their seas as it is a major attraction for tourists. The beauty of the coral reefs has appealed many tourists around the world. Local communities know and use this opportunity to enhance their incomes and develop their island by using activities such as reef walking, snorkelling, scuba diving, and creating facilities for tourists’ attraction. That kind of activities was proven to bring changes to coral reefs and contaminated water by its pollution by powerboat and has threatened the coastal ecosystem (Rouphael et al cited in Worachananant 2008, p. 646). Local communities started to open new businesses opportunities, and developing their living standards by their economic growth. As a result, they are using coastal ecosystem as the main attraction to tourist and provide goods and services. This enables them to increase their living standards by economic development. People targeted a long-lived, slow-growing and remain untouched coral reefs species and ecosystem as an object of commercial exploitation (Birkeland 2004, p. 1023). Then local communities will develop the ecosystem and ease it in purpose to be able to enhance tourism.

But, economic growth and island development sometimes can affect ecosystem's health if it comes to overexploitation. In Hawaii, one of the largest threats that can more likely to affect coral reefs is human and their economic development (cited in Beukering and Cesar 2004, p. 243). Human use reefs as tourism object and sometimes unconsciously damaged its beauty because of their activities. When human activities are increasing near coastal ecosystem, the sustainability of the ecosystem benefits is threatened. Wikinson (cited in Mascia 2002, p. 63) stated that the ecosystem is threatened because of direct exploitation of reefs resources, destructive human activities, pollution and climate change. Destructive human activities such as fishing, scuba diving, sea walking, and others are giving pressures to coral reef ecosystem and possibly have damage it physically and contaminated water with chemicals. They are developing technological advances such as scuba, night lights, high-powered boats, GPS, sonar and dynamite that are actually eliminating the place for fishes to live (Birkeland 2004, p. 1023).

Conclusion and solution
Corals are the foundation species that formed coral reefs, which is the habitat for many fishes and other living creatures (Birkeland 2004, p. 1021). Coral is the dwelling place for fishes and a place to hide. When climate change caused the sea temperatures and salinity arises, coral reefs are more likely to get affected and caused coral bleaching. Besides pathogen, the causes of coral bleaching are the elevated temperature, salinity and pollution (Carey 2000, p. 148). Pollution caused by human activities through their economic development. Human is the biggest contributors to the excessive turbidity. From the discussion above, it is clear that every perspective has reliance and gets benefits from coral reef ecosystem, but also contributes damages to its sustainability. However each perspective has to do something about it to keep its existence.

Hughes et al (cited in Cabaitan, Yamamoto and Sakai 2012, p. 41) said that overexploitation of herbivores and fishes are reducing fish population and the health of coral communities. By reducing the exploitation of herbivores and fishes in coastal ecosystem, it means giving time for coral reefs to restore their stability. Reducing the dependency of coastal ecosystem might be a good way to prevent extinction. Remengesau (cited in Carey 2000, p. 1025) advised residents to avoid taking herbivorous fishes for food because they are essential for the survival of coral recruits.

No-take reserves also are a good way to prevent overexploitation, which prohibits reserve harvesting (Roberts, Hawkins and Palumbi cited in Carey 2000, p. 1024). There should be a fisheries management that controls the amount fish that could be taken to consume. Gardner et al (cited in Carey 2000, p. 1025) determined that human activities are the central problem for coral bleaching. People are taking it for granted without further thinking about what is going to happen in the future if it is repeated. To be able to stop the coral reefs' regression, management should be more proactive and put an end to the self-centred way of thinking to exploit coastal ecosystem without thinking (Birkeland 2004, p. 1021). Especially in small and isolated communities, awareness and responsibility of coastal ecosystem management is really important because people are depending on the local resources. Awareness will increase when people realized that there is a resource scarcity, and will motivate the local communities to manage it carefully.

Vanderzwaag (2002, p. 176) pointed that there is a need for societal and technological change. The technology that is used to develop the community has to have less intrusive. It is better to use organic agriculture and other environmental friendly industrial approaches. Greater understanding and respect for nature and cultures also needs to be planted in mind (Vanderzwaag 2002, p. 176). When people have the sense of belonging to the nature, they will automatically treasure everything inside it and respect it. Respecting nature will result in the continuity of coastal ecosystem.

To conclude, there are three ways according to Birkeland (2004, p. 1026) to preserve the coastal ecosystem. First is to change the way of thinking to be proactive than reactive which focusing more on prevention rather than restoration. It is better to Deal with the main root of the causes, which is human population growth and economic demand without putting aside the proximate causes of coral reef decline such as sedimentation, overfishing and other. The last thing, which is also the most important thing, is to promote a responsible human behaviour. People's awareness of responsibility and focus to the recovery may become the most effective way to be the solution for this issue. However, these actions will not fully recovered and stop the coral bleaching, but at least there are actions to ease the coral reefs healing.

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