Izixhobo Zama-coral Ezifayo—Ingabe Abantu Banecala?

INGQUNGQUTHELA Yomhlaba Wonke Yezixhobo Zama-coral yango-1992 yabika ukuthi ngokuqondile noma ngokungaqondile abantu baye babangela ukufa kwezixhobo zama-coral eziphilayo emhlabeni ezingamaphesenti amahlanu kuya kwayishumi nokuthi ezinye ezingamaphesenti angu-60 zinganyamalala eminyakeni engu-20 kuya kwengu-40 ezayo. NgokukaClive Wilkinson we-Australian Institute of Marine Science, izixhobo zama-coral ezisezindaweni ezikude kuphela eziphile kangcono. Iphephandaba i-USA Today lathi izindawo ‘ezinezixhobo zama-coral ezilimele zihlanganisa iJapane, iTaiwan, iPhilippines, i-Indonesia, iSingapore, iSri Lanka, neNdiya e-Asia; iKenya, iTanzania, iMozambique, neMadagascar e-Afrika; neDominican Republic, iHaiti, iCuba, iJamaica, iTrinidad neTobago, neFlorida emazweni aseMelika. Izimbangela zokuwohloka ziyahlukahluka, kodwa inani eliphakeme labantu abahlala ngasogwini nokwakhiwa kakhulu kwendawo yangakhona kuyizici wonke lamazwe anazo.’

Ngokuvamile izixhobo zama-coral zihluma emanzini olwandle anamazinga okushisa aphakathi kuka-25 no-29° C., kuye ngokwendawo ezikuyo. Kodwa izinga lokushisa elilinganiselwe ukuze ama-coral aphile kahle lisondelene kakhulu nezinga lokushisa eliyingozi kuwo. Ukwenyuka kwe-degree eyodwa noma amabili ngaphezu kwezinga elivamile lasehlobo kungaba yingozi. Nakuba zingatholakala izimbangela ezihlukahlukene zokuba mhlophe kwama-coral endawo nokufa kwawo ngenxa yalokho, ososayensi abaningi bacabanga ukuthi imbangela evamile emhlabeni wonke kungase kube ukufudumala kwembulunga yonke. Umagazini i-Scientific American wabika ngalesi siphetho: “Imibiko yango-1987 yokuba mhlophe kwama-coral yaqondana nokukhathazeka okwandayo ngokufudumala kwembulunga yonke. Ngakho-ke, kwakungamangalisi ukuthi abanye ososayensi nezinye izingqapheli bafinyelela isiphetho sokuthi izixhobo zama-coral zifana nomzwilili wasemayini yamalahle—uphawu lokuqala lokwanda kwamazinga okushisa kolwandle embulungeni yonke. Nakuba kubonakala sengathi amazinga okushisa aphakeme amanzi olwandle ayebangela ukuba mhlophe, ukuhlobanisa lokhu nokufudumala kwembulunga yonke akunakuba ujuqu njengamanje.”

I-U.S.News & World Report yathi: “Ukuhlola kwamuva kwaseCaribbean kuye kwasekela umbono wokuthi izilwandle ezishisa ngendlela engavamile zabangela lokhu kubheduka kwamuva.” UThomas J. Goreau, ophethe i-Global Coral Reef Alliance, ngokuphelelwa ithemba waqhathanisa inkinga yalezi zixhobo zama-coral nokuncipha kwehlathi lemvula lase-Amazon. Wathi: “Kuyobe kusenamahlathi emvula eminyakeni engamashumi amahlanu ezayo, kodwa ngenxa yezinga izixhobo zama-coral eziphela ngalo manje, ngeke ziqhubeke zikhona isikhathi eside kangako.”

Ukucekelwa Phansi Emhlabeni Wonke—Ziningi Izimbangela

NgasoGwini lwasePacific eMelika Ephakathi, kwafa ama-coral angamaphesenti angu-95 ngo-1983. Ngesikhathi esifanayo ama-coral aba mhlophe ngendlela efanayo kodwa engeyona ingozi kakhulu enkabeni nasentshonalanga yePacific. Ukuba mhlophe okuyingozi kwagadla eGreat Barrier Reef yase-Australia nasezindaweni zasolwandle iPacific ne-Indian. IThailand, i-Indonesia, neGalápagos Islands nazo zabika umonakalo. Ngemva kwalokho, kwaba nokuba mhlophe okukhulu eduze neBahamas, iColombia, iJamaica, nePuerto Rico, kanye neningizimu Texas neFlorida, e-U.S.A.

Kwakuvela ukucekelwa phansi kwezixhobo zama-coral emhlabeni wonke. I-Natural History yaphawula: “Phakathi nalesi sikhathi esifushane okuye kwahlolwa ngaso leyo ndawo yesixhobo sama-coral, ukuba mhlophe kwamuva nje akuzange kubonakale. UPeter Glynn, isazi sezinto eziphilayo e-University of Miami, uye wahlola ama-coral aneminyaka engu-400 ubudala asemhlophe kakhulu empumalanga yePacific futhi wathola ukuthi abukho ubufakazi bezinhlekelele ezifanayo esikhathini esidlule. Lokhu kuba mhlophe kakhulu kubonisa ukuthi kungenzeka ukufudumala okuvamile kwangawo-1980 kwaba nomphumela ophawulekayo ezixhotsheni zama-coral futhi kungase kubikezele ikusasa lazo uma ukufudumala komkhathi kuholela ngisho nasemazingeni okushisa aphakeme. Ngokudabukisayo, ukufudumala kwembulunga yonke nokuwohloka kwendawo ezungezile cishe kuyophikelela futhi kube kubi kakhulu, kwandise izinga lokuba mhlophe kwama-coral emhlabeni.”

I-U.S.News & World Report yabhekisela kulokho okungase kube enye imbangela: “Ukuncipha kongqimba lwe-ozone, oluvikela izidalwa eziphilayo emisebeni elimazayo e-ultraviolet, nakho kungase kube nengxenye ekufeni kwezixhobo zama-coral kwamuva nje.”

Ezindaweni ezingasogwini, lapho abangaphezu kwengxenye yenani labantu abasemhlabeni behlala khona, ukuhluleka komuntu ukunakekela izindawo ezinjalo kuye kwazicindezela kakhulu izixhobo zama-coral. Ukuhlola kwe-World Conservation Union ne-United Nations Environment Programme kwathola ukuthi abantu baye balimaza noma bacekela phansi amanani aphakeme ezixhobo zama-coral emazweni angu-93. Izindawo eziningi ezisathuthuka zichitha ngokuqondile indle yazo engafakiwe amakhemikhali olwandle, zilungcolise.

Imihlume, ephila emanzini anosawoti futhi ecwenga ukungcola, iyagawulwa ukuze yenziwe izingodo nokokubasa. Izixhobo zama-coral ziyahlukaniswa ukuze zisetshenziselwe ukwenza izinto zokwakha. ESri Lanka naseNdiya, zonke izingxenye zezixhobo zama-coral ziye zagaywa zenziwa usimende. Imikhumbi emikhulu nemincane ifaka amahange kulezi zixhobo zama-coral noma iwanyathele, abe izicucu.

Umagazini i-National Geographic wachaza lokho okwenzeka eJohn Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park eFlorida: “Izikebhe zakhona zingcolisa amanzi nayo yonke into ekuwo ngemikhiqizo kawoyela nangemfucumfucu. Abashayeli abangaqeqeshiwe bashayisa lezi zixhobo zama-coral. Bangcolisa ulwandle ngezinkomishi eziyipulasitiki, amathini e-aluminum, izingilazi, izikhwama zepulasitiki, amabhodlela, nangezindobo eziphothene ezihamba ibanga elide. Lodoti awupheli—cishe awunakuphela.”

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 16]

By courtesy of Australian International Public Relations

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 17]

Courtesy of Bahamas Ministry of Tourism