One of our most remarkable discoveries of this year were made yesterday. While monitoring the bay in the zone of the beach Moia Moia, an extensive and continues field of hard coral Sidastrea radians was found. Rough estimate can indicate an area of at least 900-1,000 m2.
Sand extraction close to the beach poses a very severe risk to these corals. It increases coastal erosion and water turbidity which in turn affects light penetration on which Zooxanthellae, symbiotic algae of corals, depend for photosynthesis; while these algae are the main energy source for the corals which provide habitats and shelter for many marine organisms; are the source of nitrogen and other essential nutrients for marine food chains and carbon and nitrogen cycle.