Equal importance had been given to “construction and protection”, he said, adding China would honour its obligations under the UN conventions on Biological Diversity and International Trade in Endangered Species. One marine biologist, Terry Hughes from James Cook University in Queensland, said the reclamation work was “locally devastating” but the Spratlys still might face bigger threats from long-term overfishing and climate change. A study he produced with Chinese scientists in 2012 showed a steep decline in coral cover in the area due to such pressures, which are affecting reefs globally.

Torode, G. (2015, June 26). Scientists alarmed over China’s island building. The Daily Guardian, pp. 5, 11.