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  Yahoo News 18 Dec 06
Corals defy odds to flourish in Hong Kong

HONG KONG (AFP) - Coral reefs are defying the odds in Hong Kong and flourishing in the city's polluted waters, a media report citing a government survey said.

The southern Chinese city's Coral Watch index -- a measure of coral density -- gave a reading this year of 4.24, up from last year's 3.85, suggesting coral is managing to get a greater toe-hold.

Officials said the boost was the result of efforts to prevent boats and ships from dropping anchors on live reefs.

"The better situation can be attributed to the use of coral marker buoys, which help remind boats not to drop anchor in the waters of healthy coral reefs," government marine conservation officer Alan Chan was quoted as saying in the Sunday Morning Post.

Hong Kong is made up of hundreds of small sub-tropical islands, many of them fringed with coral reefs.

However, they are under daily attack from ships and boats that enter the harbour, the world's busiest, in their thousands each day.

They are also inundated with the putrid waters of China's Pearl River -- in whose estuary Hong Kong sits -- which is abused as a natural sewer running through China's heavily populated and industrialised southern region.
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