Introduction

Coral reefs provide food, protection and habitation for marine lives which coral bleaching posed greater threat on the marine biodiversity.  Coral bleaching is basically defined as the physiological stress response between the breakdown of coral- algae relations. The coral has tiny microscopic algae living inside its tissue and depend on each other for survival it is called symbiotic relations. The microscopic tiny algae zooxanthellae produce energy during photosynthesis, which benefit the coral, and in return, the microscopic algae use the coral as the host for survival. In general, the corals are highly benefit on this symbiosis relations, getting 90% of their energy form the algae. The modernization theory critically stresses Papua New Guinea’s engagement in terms of the economic growth, industrialization and technology outlining the primary causes of coral bleaching possibly be done by Ocean Acidification, Illegal Fishing, Overfishing, Climate Change and Plastic Pollution contributing to increase in high sea temperatures causing coral bleaching.

Case Study.

The Modernization theory has taken the centre stage in Papua New Guinea to gain economic independence. Government as well as human depend highly on natural resources to sustain their economy in search for money, food, clothes, access better health care, water and sanitation, and other necessities. Development of roads, bridges, airports and sea bridges are seen as the better infrastructure supporting the idea of economic development. In return, a lot of damages is being done to the resources, habitation, rivers are being polluted, plastics all over the places including waters and seas, storm run-offs, waste from mining spilling into river system and so forth, carbo dioxide from burning fuel from factories and cars thus emitting lot of carbon dioxide into the air causing pollution. 

One of the common problem affecting natural resources in Papua New Guinea is Coral Bleaching. It is defined as the breaking away of the Coral- Algae relationship. Once the algae are dead the corals have no other way of making food to survives themselves so died out. In Papua New Guinea, Government protects two provinces that from the threat of Coral Bleaching. These two provinces are Madang, specifically Madang Lagoon along the North Coast and Milne Bay province as they have many small islands and were decorated with reefs species providing home to thousands of sea creatures.

Some of the major causes of Sea Bleaching are;

Ocean Acidification

Ocean acidification is the process where the sea absorbed large amount of carbon dioxide from human activities Rafferty (2024). Coral grows upwards towards sunlight with their skeleton however, when there is too much presence of carbon dioxide in the ocean, acidification decreases the skeletons’ density, leaving them more vulnerable for breaking (Scientists pinpoint how ocean acidification weakens coral skeletons, 2018).

Illegal Fishing

Illegal fishing is when people did not use right equipment to catch fish. A vivid example will be the use of dynamite to catch fish. Actually is not a processing of catching, it is killing fishing. Some of the local people in Papua New Guinea is practicing this to catch fish in large quantities to sell them to market and consumption.  The bombing destroys the reef’s cell thus not useful to produce its foods and died out. Once it is gone, there will be no home for the fish and other marine creatures.

Climate Change.

High temperature reduce the ability of the algae to productive process, however process light in the photosynthesis system. The algae receive certain amount of heat and light for a if the temperature exceed the needed amount then it destroys the photosynthetic apparatus responsible in the process thus resulting in the production of reactive oxygen species that damage cellular structures

Plastic Pollution.

Plastics were made of some special chemicals and once being thrown into rivers or seas it slowly releases chemicals as force from rivers and waves washed it to and from. Coral cannot tolerate such toxic chemicals so they have to expel or give up the small algae to protect themselves from more damage to their tissues. And over and over, they slowly lose their cells and died out.

Summary

However, Papua New Guinea should or has responded on both global and local scale in targeting coral bleaching. PNG backed its stance under the 10th pillar “Climate Change and Natural Environment Protection” of the 12 Strategic Priority Areas (SPAs) for MTDP IV (the five-year plan) by adopted 13 UN goals on Climate action and is drastically responding towards achieving Strategic development plan 2030 on climate and environment. This is seen as collective efforts towards achieving the main goal of Environmental sustainability and climate change in PNG vision 2050.  These goals are supported with environmental policies to mitigate human actions towards pollution, especially carbon emission that is the main reasons of intense heat that result in coral bleaching. In addition, the government look at the local scale of preventing coral bleaching by implementing more policies and doing awareness on marine conservation, illegal fishing, over fishing, climate mitigation effort, community based waste management, Marine Protected Areas, introduce tough control measures on pollution, rehabilitation and reforestation.

References.

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Gibbens, S. (June 5, 2020). Scientists are trying to save coral reefs. Here is what is working. National Geography. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/scientists-work-to-save-coral-reefs-climate-change-marine-parks

Kalim, K. (n.d).  National Marine Conservation Assessment for Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea Conservation and Environment Protection Authority, 2015. https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/national-marine-conservation-assessment-png-large.pdf.

Medium Term Development Plan IV 2023-2027. (07, July 2023). Statement by the Minister for Finance and Planning. MTDP4 LAUNCHINGAT THE APEC HAUS.  https://mtdp.gov.pg/

Media Release. (September 22, 2017). New technologies can help preserve coral reefs.  Great Barrier ReefFoundation. https://www.barrierreef.org/news/news/new-technologies-can-help-preserve-coral-reefs

O’Sullivan, M. (September 14, 2020). Coral bleaching in Fiji: How the country is protecting its vital reef. BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/54088906

PAPUA NEW GUINEA VISION 2050. (n.d). National Strategic Plan Taskforce. THE ENT STATE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA. https://sustainabledevelopINDEPENDment.un.org/content/documents/1496png.pdf

Staff writer & CNA. (Jan 13, 2021). Bleaching killing at least 31% of Taiwan’s reefs. Taipei Times. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2021/01/13/2003750473

Unite States Environmental Protection Agency (n.d).What You Can Do to Help Protect Coral Reefs. Coral Reefs. https://www.epa.gov/coral-reefs/what-you-can-do-help-protect-coral-reefs

 Johnson, V.J.  et al. (May 04, 2022). Marine protected areas do not buffer corals from bleaching under global warming. BMC Ecology and Evolution.https://bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-022-02011-y

Rafferty, J.P. (2024). ocean acidification. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/ocean-acidification Scientists pinpoint how ocean acidification weakens coral skeletons. (2018). How corals grow is the key. US National Science Foundation. https://new.nsf.gov/news/scientists-pinpoint-how-ocean-acidification