REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PADANG -- Marine and Fishery Observer of Andalas University of Padang, West Sumatra, Indra Junaidi Zakaria said here on Sunday that forest fires pose a threat to the Indonesian coral reef and might damage the marine ecosystem.

Forest fires have been a major contributor to carbon dioxide emission to the atmosphere that causes the green house effect and global warming, Zakaria said.

In the sea, most of the marine organisms, especially coral reef, will absorb the carbon dioxide from the air. "As a result, too much CO2 will cause the coral reef to bleach and die," Zakaria said.

Global warming causes the rising temperature of the earth and sea water.

Warmer water temperatures can result in coral bleaching.

Corals have a symbiotic relationship with microscopic algae called zooxanthellae that live in their tissues.

These algae are the coral's primary food source and give them color.

Corals are stressed by changes in conditions such as temperature, light or nutrients.

When the water becomes too warm, the symbiotic relationship is stressed that corals will expel the algae causing the coral to turn completely white.

Without the algae, the coral loses its major source of food and turns white or very pale, therefore, it becomes more susceptible to diseases.

Zakaria found that many coral reefs at Kalimantan waters have been affected by the rising temperature.

The forest fires may also affect coral reef in Sumatran waters as the two islands are dotted with hotspots especially during the dry season, he said.

Based on the data of 2006-2014 from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the cumulative hotspots counted in Sumatra showed that hotspots of forest fires mostly occurred from June-October, while in Kalimantan is from August-October.

However, in 2014, more hotspots also detected during February-March in Riau, meaning that the slash and burn activity is also committed during the rainy season, Head of Data and Information Center of BNPB Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

"From February until April 2014, forest fires in Riau Province alone had cause Rp20 trillion worth of damage, way much more than its regional budget," Nugroho said during a press conference on Indonesian forest fires mitigation.

Fires had burnt 2,398 hectares of biosphere reserve, 21,914 hectares of land, producing haze that affected the health of at least 58,000 residents of Riau Province.

Whereas the Government has set a target to reduce its carbon emission up to 26 percent in 2020.

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