THE dredging of coral reefs to build artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea has alarmed conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). In April 2013, poaching vessel F/V Min Long Yu destroyed 3902 square meters of seabed in the Tubbataha Reefs. Ongoing reclamation in a half-dozen reefs has now obliterated 1.2 million square meters – 310 times the damage wrought on Tubbataha. Mechanical dredgers which cut, crush and compact corals have also stirred […]