So far, the hotspot has skipped North Sulawesi Area. And with the the likely movement of the hotspot from North of Phillipines towards Palau, potentially, Bunaken will not be affected by the bleaching. However, it does not mean that the reef does not need our help.
the Philippines, Palau, and Guam.
In the same way that people who are in shape can fight and recover from disease, corals that are tough and healthy are more likely than weaker corals to survive stressful events, such as Acanthaster outbreak, or coral bleaching. Here are some sugestions that you can do as a dive operator.
1. Ask snorkelers and divers not to touch, step, or kick the corals. Make sure divers have good buoyancy and
that their dive equipment is securely attached. Consider keeping beginner divers at a distance from bleached corals.
2. Help maintain healthy populations of herbivorous reef fish, such as parrotfish, rabbitfish, surgeon fish, rudder fish, as well as sea urchins. Consider reducing the removal of these species. These creatures play an important role in removing algae, which can overgrow
areas of the reef that had mass mortality. Algae‐free areas are crucial for baby coral to settle and grow.
3. Be informed about the bleaching and the hotspot movement (in Indonesia, around April‐June, and October‐December). Help us to understand the extent of a bleaching event by informing us about the bleaching and non‐bleaching areas among your dive sites. Therefore we can have preliminary information on
which areas are stronger than others.
4. Help us to monitor the condition of affected and unaffected dive sites. Monitoring gives us clues about which areas recover better than others.
5. Help reefs to recover faster by stabilizing substrates through rehabilitation efforts.
6. Help authorities to enforce rules in the area.
7. Encourage your divers to actively reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.