Coral Reefs, Marinas and Golf Courses

Coral Reef in Saipan Impacted by Golf Course

A recent survey by Dr. Peter Houk of Pacific Marine Resources Institute and the DEQ Marine Monitoring Team at Greg Norman's Laolao Bay Golf Course have revealed that 20 years after construction, dramatic negative effects on the coral reef's health have occurred.

From an article from the Saipan Tribune:

* Significant increase of seasonal brown macroalgae, as well as persistent red algae on the reef flats. This proliferation of macroalgae is considered undesirable, and has cascading impacts to other components of the coral reef ecosystem;

* Coral assemblages have shifted from larger, more structurally-complex colonies to numerous small encrusting colonies, providing less habitat for reef-dwelling organisms;

* Species richness of coral has declined throughout most of LaoLao, and is most pronounced in the eastern portion of the bay;

* Fish densities have shown significant declines, mainly a shift from large-bodied fish to smaller ones;

* The functional diversity of fish has also declined significantly, meaning reduced grazing efficiency on the reef associated habitats, and more space for macroalgae and undesirable substrate to grow. The full article on the Laolau Golf Course and Coral Reefs can be read here.

These negative effects are typical of the types of environmental consequences of golf courses built in ecosensitive areas, and precisely the type of effect that coral scientists warned prior to the approval of the Bakers Bay Golf & Ocean Club in the Northern Bahamas.

A developer in the Maldives has released a press release saying they will be building a floating golf course, inside the ring of a coral reef. They claim that the coral reef golf course will have zero environmental impact.

The fact that several news agencies and blogs reported this as fact is absurd. Although, I think we should focus on the story by Bridgette Meinhold, who writes in the green design website, Inhabitat, "Threatened with rising sea levels from climate change, the island nation may be doomed to a watery grave unless it transitions to floating developments. Developed by Dutch Docklands and designed through a collaboration between golf course developer Troon Golf and Waterstudio.NL, the zero-footprint solar-powered golf course will be one of the first floating developments..."

Meinhold, who appears to have taken the press release at face value, has fallen for a classic trick that golf developers employ to confuse the public. A floating golf course, by all means will have a devastating effect on the nearby coral reef. This story plays out again and again around the world. The developer has, and probably does not require, an ounce of an environmental impact statement, but, through bloggers and journalists, is able to spin an audacious golf plan in the middle of a coral reef as a positive way to save an island nation! For all we know, the fertilizer and human waste will be dumped directly in the coral reef. But Meinhold fell for the idea that the developer spun, that this golf course development is actually a good thing for the Maldives, because it will save the island nation from certain doom once sea levels rise.

This is the lowest level of greenwashing I have ever heard, and I suspect that Bridgette Meinhold will want to amend her article with notes on the impact that golf courses have on coral reefs. If Inhabitat hopes to live up to their credo that "design will save the world," they should live up to that credo by publishing real articles on sustainable development, not repurposing greenwashed press releases from new spins on megadevelopment environmental fails.

Note also that Meinhold calls the golf course "zero-footprint," an absurd statement, considering this golf course will likely cause permanent damage to yet another coral reef.