WORLD ATLAS OF CORAL REEFS
around Cat Ba Island. Tourism is rapidly increasing in this
country, and the Ha Long Bay area receives over a million
visitors a year. A small number of marine protected areas
have been established, two of which include coral reefs.
Vietnam claims a number of islands in the South
China Sea, including the Spratly Islands.
China
Although China has a substantial coastline facing the South
China Sea there is little or no true reef development along
any of it. Hainan, a large island in the mouth of the Gulf of
Tongking, was once reported as having substantial fringing
reef communities along parts of its southern coast, but a
number of sites originally described in the 1950s were
revisited in 1984 and found to have all but disappeared.
Significant fringing reef structures around Shalao on the
east coast and Xincun Bay in the southeast were visited in
1990 and found to be largely made up of dead coral rubble
with only occasional live corals. The most extensive and
diverse fringing reef communities are found in the area
around Sanya where, in 1978. coral cover was reported as
50-90 percent on the East Reefs and 60 percent on the West
Reef These figures were reported to have fallen to 40-60
Vietnam
General Data
Population (thousands)
78 77/.
GDPImiUion US$1
10i87
Land area Ikm^l
327 100
Marine area (thousand km^l
396
Per capita fish consumption Ikg/yearl
17
Status and Threats
Reefs at risk (%l
86
Recorded coral diseases
Biodiversity
Reef area (km^j
1
270
Coral diversity
278 /36i
Mangrove area (knn^j
2 525
No. of mangrove species
29
No. of seagrass species
9
China
*!
General Data
Population (thousands)
1
261 832
GDP (million US$)
101 885
Land area* Ikm^)
9 291 000
Marine area (thousand km^)
3i8
Per capita fish consumption (kg/year)
na
Status and Threats
Reefs at risk 1%)
91
Recorded coral diseases
Biodiversity
Reef area (km^)
1
510
Coral diversity
101/365
Mangrove area* Ikm^)
339
No. of mangrove species*
23
No. of seagrass species
na
" Including Taiwan
Large groupers Epinephelus sp. in holding pens awaiting shipment to the restaurants of Hong Kong.
around Cat Ba Island. Tourism is rapidly increasing in this
country, and the Ha Long Bay area receives over a million
visitors a year. A small number of marine protected areas
have been established, two of which include coral reefs.
Vietnam claims a number of islands in the South
China Sea, including the Spratly Islands.
China
Although China has a substantial coastline facing the South
China Sea there is little or no true reef development along
any of it. Hainan, a large island in the mouth of the Gulf of
Tongking, was once reported as having substantial fringing
reef communities along parts of its southern coast, but a
number of sites originally described in the 1950s were
revisited in 1984 and found to have all but disappeared.
Significant fringing reef structures around Shalao on the
east coast and Xincun Bay in the southeast were visited in
1990 and found to be largely made up of dead coral rubble
with only occasional live corals. The most extensive and
diverse fringing reef communities are found in the area
around Sanya where, in 1978. coral cover was reported as
50-90 percent on the East Reefs and 60 percent on the West
Reef These figures were reported to have fallen to 40-60
Vietnam
General Data
Population (thousands)
78 77/.
GDPImiUion US$1
10i87
Land area Ikm^l
327 100
Marine area (thousand km^l
396
Per capita fish consumption Ikg/yearl
17
Status and Threats
Reefs at risk (%l
86
Recorded coral diseases
Biodiversity
Reef area (km^j
1
270
Coral diversity
278 /36i
Mangrove area (knn^j
2 525
No. of mangrove species
29
No. of seagrass species
9
China
*!
General Data
Population (thousands)
1
261 832
GDP (million US$)
101 885
Land area* Ikm^)
9 291 000
Marine area (thousand km^)
3i8
Per capita fish consumption (kg/year)
na
Status and Threats
Reefs at risk 1%)
91
Recorded coral diseases
Biodiversity
Reef area (km^)
1
510
Coral diversity
101/365
Mangrove area* Ikm^)
339
No. of mangrove species*
23
No. of seagrass species
na
" Including Taiwan
Large groupers Epinephelus sp. in holding pens awaiting shipment to the restaurants of Hong Kong.