In a bid to protect its coastal territory from submerging under seawater, Japan has begun planting baby coral on a remote Pacific atoll in a multi-million-dollar project.
Traversed by water from all sides, Japan stands on a danger of sinking beneath the seawaters. And to save its sinking rocky islets of Okinotori, which it regards as its southernmost point and defend a territorial claim disputed with China, the country will take several plants of juvenile coral to near the uninhabited isles.
Japan’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) surrounds Okinotori. Whereas China insists that Okinotori is just rocks and thereby is not regarded under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as an entity around which Japan can set EEZ.
Akito Sato, in charge of the project , said that considering the threat being posed by global warming, the country couldn’t rule out the possibility of rising water submerging the islands. Thereby, taking no chances, the country has embarked on this 500 million yen plan to plant tens of thousands of corals and use them as a means to ward off the submergence. In this way, they would also be protecting the environment on the atoll known as Douglas Reef, which has been extensively eroded by waves.
Corals are known to protect against hurricanes and other extreme weather. But, today corals are itself under threat. Japan’s idea of growing corals needs to be applauded.
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Via: The Raw Story