title: Dredging in the Spratly Islands: Gaining Land but Losing Reefs.
abstract: Coral reefs on remote islands and atolls are less exposed to direct human stressors but are becoming increasingly vulnerable because of their development for geopolitical and military purposes. Here we document dredging and filling activities by countries in the South China Sea, where building new islands and channels on atolls is leading to considerable losses of, and perhaps irreversible damages to, unique coral reef ecosystems. Preventing similar damage across other reefs in the region necessitates the urgent development of cooperative management of disputed territories in the South China Sea. We suggest using the Antarctic Treaty as a positive precedent for such international cooperation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America.
authors.forename: Camilo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mora
authors.affiliation: Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America.
authors.forename: Iain R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Caldwell
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Birkeland
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, United States of America.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: McManus
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D057894:Coral Reefs; D038622:Internationality / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence