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East
Asia's astonishing variety of political, economic and social
systems is matched by its environment: ship-crowded straits,
island groups, wide gulfs, shallow estuaries-and some of the
most heavily populated countries in the worlds where millions
rely on fish for much of their protein.
The threats to the region are just as varied, including erosion and
siltation from land development, logging and mining, blast fishing in coral
reefs, cutting and conversion of mangroves, over fishing, unimpeded coastal
development and disposal of untreated wastes.
The December 2004 tsunami came as a great shock to the environment of the East
Asian Seas region, in addition to its toll in human lives and livelihoods. Many
corals were affected, particularly in the intertidal zone, and rubbish from run
off continues to damage them in spit of the best efforts of cleanup teams.
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