Coral reefs in and surrounding the Island Conservation Area of Nusa Penida (KKP Nusa Penida) are undergoing the destructive process of coral bleaching. Experts are baffled as to the cause of the death of ocean coral at Nusa Penida, a phenomenon occurring in location around the globe and often blamed on climate change and higher ocean temperatures. The chairman of KPP said the rapid onset of whitening or bleaching of the coral reef eventually leaves the affected reef brittle and dead. There is no connection with the high number of people swimming and snorkeling on the Nusa Penida reef and intensive efforts are underway to understand the etiology of the reef bleaching process. The appearance of the bleached coral is a relatively new development at Nusa Penida, first noted by officials in the past month. Meanwhile, marine observers across Indonesia are reporting similar cases of reef bleaching. Researchers and volunteers from the Coral Triangle Center (CTC) are monitoring the condition of Indonesia’s coral reefs. CTC, basing their thinking on data revealed by satellite monitoring, has the growing suspicion that the sudden and widespread decline in coral reefs Sanur and Nusa Penida may be due to rising ocean temperatures.
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