Kharg Coral Reefs Safe From Oil Exploration

Coral reefs off the coast of Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf are unaffected by oil activities, a senior environment official said.

Quoted in a report by the website of Bushehr Province Fisheries Organization, Davoud Mirshekar, the head of Marine Habitats Office at the Department of Environment, said the corals were studied during March 21-May 21.

"The purpose of the study was to determine whether the corals were healthy and how the species that depend on them were faring," he said. Stressing that the corals faced no threats, Mirshekar said, "We'll resume our studies once summer is over to see whether the rising temperatures have had an effect on the corals."

Corals are sensitive to temperature changes, particularly to a rise in temperature, which leads to a phenomenon called bleaching.  The reefs are among the most distinctive marine environments and ideal habitats for a great number of sea animals that sometime take up to 500 years to be restored.

They also act as natural breakwaters preventing soil erosion and strong water waves in coastal areas. Their extinction can have a serious impact both on the environment and human life in coastal areas.