§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made in the development of measures to protect coral and related nurseries for fish. [93493]
§ Mr. MullinThe UK is a founding member of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), a co-ordination mechanism aimed at promoting coral reef protection and sustainable use of coral reef resources world-wide. One of the functions of ICRI is to provide a framework for supporting the development of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN).
Since February 1997 the UK Government have funded the development of the South Asia node of the GCRMN in India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. This has already successfully established the foundations of an effective coral reef management mechanism in the region.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions visited the Maldives earlier this year and saw this programme in action. Whilst he was there, he was able to announce £300,000 of additional UK funding from the Department for International Development, which will assist countries of the region further to strengthen their national coral reef information systems. It will also enable local people to be trained in a wider range of data analysis and its use in coral reef management and will provide continuing advice to the national institutions implementing the monitoring programme.
In the past, the failure to undertake routine monitoring has been a significant constraint to effective protection and management of coral reefs. This UK funded programme has established a model which can be applied to other reef systems as a basis for helping poor coastal communities to optimise sustainable benefits from coral reef resources, including fisheries.