Ukuvakashela IGreat Barrier Reef

Ngumlobeli wePhaphama! eAustralia

Ingxoxo emnandi yabantu ababuka indawo iyaphakama njengoba umkhumbi othwala abantu wehlisa ijubane ekupheleni kohambo lwamakhilomitha angu-29 olusuka eCairns. Uhleko oluthelelanayo lweqembu lamantombazane lubonisa injabulo yawo​—⁠asezofika eGreen Island, okuyindawo ekhanga kakhulu yeGreat Barrier Reef yaseAustralia.

‘Kodwa luyini unqenqema lwamadwala [barrier reef]?’ ungase ubuze. ‘Futhi yini enhle [great] kangako ngalolu kangangokuba lufanelwe ukubizwa ngalesisiqu?’

Luhle​—⁠Alikho Ihaba

IGreat Barrier Reef iyisimiso esikhulu kunazo zonke emhlabeni samadwala amacoral. Ingamakhilomitha angu-⁠2 000 ukugudla ugu lwaseQueensland, izwe elisenyakatho Australia. Amadwala angawodwa ayahlukahluka ngobukhulu, kodwa amanye amakhudlwana anobubanzi obufinyelela emakhilomitheni amabili namakhilomitha angu-24 ubude. Yonke indawo yeGreat Barrier Reef Marine Park ingamakhilomitha-skwele angu-349 000, amabanga asuka ogwini lwaseAustralia esukela kumakhilomitha angu-16 kuya kumakhilomitha angaphezu kuka-300.

Igama elithi “barrier” lisetshenziselwa ukuchaza idwala eligudla ugu kodwa oluthé ukuqhela ngaphandle kogu kunedwala eliseduze. Olunye uhlobo lwedwala yisiqhingi esiyisiyingi okuthiwa iatoll, luhlukaniseka ngokufana kwalo negwinya elinembobo phakathi, njengoba limise okwesiyingi esinechibi phakathi nendawo.

Isimo sezulu saseBarrier Reef naso sihle kakhulu​—⁠sidumele ezinyangeni zasebusika, bese kuthi kuwo wonke unyaka ukushisa kwalendawo eshisayo kupholiswe umoya oqabulayo wasolwandle. Noma yikuphi ukuphawula ngobuhle bayo kufanele kuhlanganise nendima yalelidwala njengenqaba enkulu eyisiphephelo yezinyoni kanye nezilwane zasolwandle. Lidume ngezinhlobonhlobo zalo zezinhlanzi ezidliwayo, ezinjengetuna, igrouper, necoral trout, ingasaphathwa-ke eyezinhlanzi zalo ezinkulu ezingadliwa​—⁠imarlin emnyama, iswordfish, ibarracuda, noshaka.

Amanye amagobolondo amahle ngendlela ekhethekile emhlabeni aye atholakala kulelidwala​—⁠ngisho namakhulu. Amagobolondo ezinhlanzi ezinkulu anesisindo esingaphezu kwamakhilogremu angu-230 awayona into engavamile. Futhi amanye amaoyster amakhulu kakhulu emhlabeni aye atholakala kulelidwala. Ngisho namagobolondo amapearl aye atholakala ogwini lwengxenye yalo engasenyakatho.

Okuhle ngendlela ebabazekayo wumbala ophawulekayo wamacoral ngokwawo. Okuqophisana nalokhu yimibala ekhazimulayo yezinhlanzi ezingavamile ezigcwele emanzini alo: ingxube ephawulekayo yoluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka nosawolintshi, omnyama noyigolide, ngisho nobomvu klebhu kanye noluhlaza. Okumangalisayo futhi yisimo esiyinqaba sokwakheka kwemizimba yalezinhlanzi, esibonakala ngendlela ekhangayo njengoba zitshuza futhi ziphinqilika zingena futhi ziphuma kumacoral amahle, ayinkimbinkimbi.

Isimangaliso Secoral

Icoral “yindlu” yelimestone, noma uhlaka lwamathambo, olwakhiwa isilwane esincane sasolwandle okuthiwa ipolyp. Lapho sisaphila, sakha “indlu” yecoral. Lapho lepolyp encane ifa, ishiya uhlaka lwamathambo, ashiywe njengefa lezizukulwane ezizayo. Lapho sizalwa isibungu esincane sepolyp sibhukuda ngokukhululeka, kodwa ngokushesha sizinamathisela kuyicoral eshiywe okhokho bayo. Njengoba sesiqine ngqí, siyakhula simise okweshubhu, bese kuba nembobo phezulu eshubhini okuvela kuyo imilenzana. Khona-ke ipolyp iqalisa ukudla ukudla kwayo, okwakhiwa izilwanyana ezincane zasolwandle, ngokuyinhloko amacrustacean nezibungu zezinhlanzi.

Kusukela kuleliqophelo kuqhubeke, yakha ngenkuthalo, ithatha osawoti becalcium abasemanzini olwandle bese ikhipha okuthile okuqinile okufana nelimestone ukuze yakhe inkomishi eyitshe “ezinyaweni,” noma esinqeni sayo. Izizukulwane ezilandelayo zakhela kulezinhlaka zamathambo amise okwenkomishi, akheka abe yizimo ezahlukahlukene futhi abe nemibala ehlukahlukene kuye ngokohlobo lwecoral eyakhayo.

Umphumela uba izinhlobonhlobo ezinhle zamacoral, aphumela ekubeni kube namagama achazayo anjengelithi lace icoral enjengoleyisi, icoral enjengekhowe, icoral enjengophondo, icoral enjengenkanyezi, necoral enjengobuchopho, uma sibala nje ambalwa. Futhi imibala emihle ngendlela emangalisayo yamacoral aphilayo ingase ibe omhlophe, ophuzi, oluhlaza okotshani, onsundu, osawolintshi, obomvana, obomvu, onsomi, oluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka, noma omnyama.

Ngakho lena indlela iGreat Barrier Reef eyakheke ngayo: icoral enemibala egqamile, ekhangayo. Futhi nakuba izinhlobo eziyinhloko ezitholakala lapho kanye eziyisiyingi, necoral enjengobuchopho kanye nemise okophondo enhle ngokukhethekile, kuthiwa okungenani kunezinhlobo ezahlukahlukene ezingu-350 zamacoral kulelidwala! Ukuba wugqinsi kwamacoral akha idwala kuyahlukahluka. Imigodi emibili eyambiwa esiqhingini samacoral yafinyelela ukujula kwamamitha angu-120 ngaphambi kokufinyelela esihlabathini.

Ubuhle Bungaphansi Kwamanzi

Icoral engaphezulu ayikhangi kangako, ngenxa yokuthi yakhiwa kuphela amacoral afile naphukile. Icoral ephilayo esemanzini ajulile enemibala ebabazekayo. Khona-ke, ubuhle bangempela bedwala bungabonwa kuphela ngomkhumbi onesinqe sengilazi noma ngokungena ngaphansi kwamanzi ngezinto zakhona zokuphefumula.

Amanzi azungeze lelidwala acwebile, kangangokuba izinto ezisekujuleni okungamamitha angu-30 abagibeli abahleli emaceleni onqenqema lwengilazi phezu kwemikhumbi eyakhiwe ngokukhethekile bazibona kalula. Ngisho namacoral asekujuleni okukhulu ungawabona kalula ungaphezu kwamanzi, ngenxa yokuthi amacoral akha idwala akheka kahle kakhulu emanzini athola ukukhanya kwelanga, futhi ukwakheka kwedwala kuhamba kancane lapho amanzi ejula ngaphezu kwamamitha angu-⁠11.

Izitha Zedwala

Ngezinye izikhathi umuntu ngokwakhe uyisitha esikhulu sezimangaliso ezingokwemvelo njengeBarrier Reef. Ngenxa yalokho, abaningi bayajabula ngokuthi uhulumeni waseAustralia kuze kube manje uye wakwenqabela ukudonswa njalo kukawoyela okulelidwala, nakuba okunye ukudonswa kwawo kokuhlola kuye kwenziwa.

Nokho, “kunesitha” esingalawuleki kalula: istarfish eyaziwa ngokuthi umqhele wameva. Igama layo lisuselwa ekubukekeni kwayo; inemilenze efinyelela ku-23 esuka engxenyeni ephakathi nendawo ewumzimba, njengezipoki zesondo. Wonke umzimba wayo umbozwe izinkulungwane zameva abukhali awushevu kubantu. Ingenye yamastarfish amakhulu kakhulu emhlabeni, afinyelela kumasentimitha angu-70 ububanzi.

Amastarfish awumqhele wameva adla amacoral aphilayo, okungukuthi, amapolyp aphilayo lawo asuke esakha amacoral, futhi aye enza umonakalo omkhulu ezingxenyeni zalelidwala. Lamastarfish aye aba indaba okuphikiswana ngayo kakhulu kusukela lapho eqala ukuqashelwa ngo-1962.

Abanye bamukela umbono owethusayo wokuthi yonke iBarrier Reef isengozini, futhi bakhipha izixwayiso ezinjengesithi ‘Kuyobe Kungekho Dwala Ngonyaka Ka-2000.’ Ngakolunye uhlangothi, kunezazi zesayensi ezithi lokhu kuhlaselwa kwalo kungokwemvelo futhi kuyadingeka, zikufanisa nezinzuzo ezihlala njalo zemililo yequbula. Zibonisa ukuthi kuze kube manje ukuhlasela kwestarfish kusagcinwe engxenyeni yesithathu yedwala.

Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi yimuphi umbono womuntu siqu ongase uthathwe ngalestarfish enameva nezingozi ezenziwa kumacoral edwala, abaningi bayavuma ukuthi kudingeka kwenziwe ukucwaningisisa okwengeziwe kwezesayensi. Kanjalo, eminyakeni embalwa edlule, bekulokhu kwenziwa lokho okuye kwabizwa ngokuthi ukuhlolwa kwezilwane zasolwandle okunemininingwane kakhulu kunakho konke okwake kwenziwa emanzini aseAustralia. Isikhathi kuphela esiyobonisa ukuthi umphumela wokugcina uyoba yini. Okwamanje, uma ukwazi ukuthatha uhambo lokuya eAustralia, ngokungangabazeki ukuvakashela iGreat Barrier Reef yakhona ekhangayo nenemibala emihle kuyojulisa ukwazisa kwakho ngezimangaliso zendalo.

[Ibalazwe/Izithombe ekhasini 24, 25]

(Ukuze ubone ukuthi indaba ihlelwe kanjani, bheka encwadini)

IGreat Barrier Reef

IAUSTRALIA

[Umthombo]

Photos of coral: By courtesy of Australian Overseas Information Service