DIVE HAPPY

A new report from a prominent New Zealand researcher reveals that the corals and fish population of marine parks across Asia and Australia are still vulnerable to poaching and pollution

This reports confirms much of what's known about marine parks in the Asian region already - they need more money, people and resources to adequately patrol and protect such huge areas of ocean.

BANGKOK, Thailand - Marine parks are failing to protect the world's coral reefs, according to a prominent New Zealand researcher, with fewer than two percent receiving adequate protection from these sanctuaries.

Many of the parks remain "vulnerable to risks that arise from beyond their boundaries, such as sedimentation, pollution, coastal development," said the University of Auckland's Mark Costello, who oversaw a study of the parks that appeared in Science magazine earlier this month.

Costello said some problems stem from a failure to follow-up the establishment of a park with "good management and enforcement." Money also played a role, Costello said, with developing countries such as the Philippines or Indonesia lacking the finances to provide adequate levels of protection.

"I think there is a responsibility on the global community to help these countries protect their biodiversity," he said. Read the full article at MSNBC