Marine biodiversity in Indonesia is threatened by plastic waste — Nature conservation

Nature conservation

Endangered diversity

An article by: Thomas Kuhn

Reading time: 4 min

Along with rainforests, coral reefs and mangrove forests are among the most productive ecosystems in the world: they protect beaches and coasts from tsunamis and erosion and serve as a habitat and nursery for thousands of animal species. Plastic waste in our oceans threatens these sensitive habitats. In our picture gallery, KfW photo editor Thomas Kuhn takes you to Indonesia: a marine area with the highest biodiversity in the world, but also with a rapidly increasing concentration of plastic waste.

Indonesia – coral reef near Halmahera - The island of Halmahera is part of the northern Maluku Islands and lies in the middle of what is known as the coral triangle. As one of the world's most biodiverse marine areas, it is home to more than 3,000 species of fish and nearly 600 different types of stony coral, beside numerous soft corals. An intact coral reef is not only a habitat for many species of flora and fauna, it also offers protection from coastal erosion and can lessen the impact of storm surge waves and tsunamis.

Mangrove forests on Halmahera — Living mangrove border - Large sections of the coast of Halmahera and the surrounding, partly uninhabited islands are lined with mangrove forests. They consist of close to 70 different tree and shrub species, which have adapted to the specific living conditions of the sea coasts and brackish estuaries in the changing tides. Sea and land animals converge here and share the same habitat. The mangrove roots act as a nursery for many species of fish and crustacean, which later migrate to the offshore coral reefs or open waters.

Fish at land - Mudskippers, for example, are dependent on the mangroves: this highly specialised, amphibian fish spends most of its time outside the water, where it moves by jumping. Mudskippers use their gill cavities to carry sea water reserves, which they oxygenate. This allows them to spend some time on land where they can even climb mangrove roots to catch prey. A total of 19 different types of mudskippers can be found in coastal areas around the world.

Archerfish — Rare species - The archerfish, which is also native to mangrove forests, feeds exclusively on living insects that have fallen into the water. It uses a sophisticated hunting technique: with a targeted jet of water which can be as long as four metres, it shoots down its prey from branches and leaves and collects it from the water's surface afterwards. There are only seven species of archerfish.

Shrinking habitat - In addition to water birds, which make use of the rich food supply in the mangrove forests and nest in the treetops, mammals like the spotted cuscus also live in the mangroves. They, too, are affected by the continued destruction. About half of the global mangrove population has been lost since the middle of the 20th century. Plastic waste is only one of many causes of danger.

Boat in mangrove forest — Endangered by economic exploitation - Mangrove forests are drained to develop coastal areas – for activities including tourism – or to expand agricultural land such as palm oil plantations or rice fields. Yields from fishing shrink drastically in areas where the mangroves are cleared. Aquacultures, such as shrimp farming, also endanger mangroves. This industry uses chemicals that make continuous breeding impossible for many years. It is then no longer possible to grow new mangroves.

Plastic waste in coral reef — Plastic waste is trapped - Washed up plastic waste endangers mangrove forests as well as coral reefs and beaches. The plastic waste from villages and towns makes its way to the sea via rivers and canals, where it collects and forms huge patches. A total of 90 per cent of this plastic gradually sinks and ultimately gets stuck in the coral. Fishing nets, plastic cords and bags get caught most easily in the delicate coral.

Plastic waste — Plastic is retained - Before the coral reefs or at coastal sections without coral reefs sunken plastic remains on the sand or gravel ground. Unlike organic material, microorganisms cannot completely decompose plastics. Large plastic parts become smaller and smaller over many years and eventually become microplastic, but are never completely degraded.

Plastic waste at the coast — The downside of the plastic age - Plastic waste also gets trapped in the mangrove forests along marine coasts and estuaries because the trees' roots tend to act as a kind of rake. The rubbish displaces and obstructs various creatures, including young fish, who seek shelter and a place to hide between the shallow mangrove roots.

Fisher boats — We act! - The newly formed Clean Oceans Initiative brings together KfW Group, the French Development Bank (AFD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to engage in marine conservation projects that aim to combat pollution in the world's oceans. In addition, KfW Group is financing the sustainable conservation of marine habitats in Sulawesi, which is adjacent to Halmahera and is also located in the coral triangle, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) in cooperation with the US environmental organisation Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

Indonesia – coral reef near Halmahera

The island of Halmahera is part of the northern Maluku Islands and lies in the middle of what is known as the coral triangle. As one of the world's most biodiverse marine areas, it is home to more than 3,000 species of fish and nearly 600 different types of stony coral, beside numerous soft corals. An intact coral reef is not only a habitat for many species of flora and fauna, it also offers protection from coastal erosion and can lessen the impact of storm surge waves and tsunamis.

Open gallery

Published on KfW Stories: Friday, 14 December 2018

Image-Reference

On our website, pictures taken, among others, by the following photographers/photo agencies are used:

Agentur photothek.net, Deutsche Messe Hannover, Andreas Arnold, Jörg Böthling, Dominik Butzmann, Carsten Costard, Susanne Esche, Charlie Fawell, Rendel Freude, Torsten George, Gaby Gerster, David Greedy, Peter Himsel, Barbara Högner, Frank Homann, Fred Hoogervorst, Steffen Jagenburg (BRANSCH EUROPE), Thomas Klewar, Studio Kohlmeier , Florian Kopp, Georg Lopata, Jürgen Lösel, Kirsten Milhahn, Rüdiger Nehmzow, Rolf Obertreis, Rubén Arnaldo Farina Ortiz, Holger Peters, Joachim Röttgers, Mika Schmidt, Bernhard Schurian, Jens Steingässer, Pietro Sutera, Uwe Tölle, Jan Zappner.

Fotolia.com: amandare, Yuri Arcurs, Kitch Bain, Ingo Bartussek, Sergio Donà, drizzd, Dmitry Ersler, eyewave, Zoltán Futó, Eric Gevaert, Fotolia XXV, Friedberg, goodluz, Dirk Hoffmann, imageteam, Christian Jung, Abdelhamid Kalai, Sergej Khakimullin, Vladimir Kolobov, krizz7, Kzenon, lumen-digital, marog-pixcells, Mindwalker, Miredi, mirpic, Nebuto, Tino Neitz, Christian Pedant, Franz Pfluegl, prognone, Gina Sanders, Henry Schmitt, spree berlin, SVLuma, Kheng Guan Toh, tom, Torbz, typomaniac, VRD, Joachim Wendler, Sreedhar Yedlapati.

environmentprotection of specieswater pollution controlnature conservationfloodingCleanOceansplastic wasteEIBAgence Française de Développement water

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