JOURNEYING: Morovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands

Marovo Lagoon is a large saltwater lagoon located in the Solomon Islands, north of Vanuatu and encompasses 700 square kilometers. Protected by a double barrier reef system, Marovo Lagoon is World Heritage listed.

The Solomon Islands are a group of over 600 islands with only six being main islands.

The lagoon is a complex mix of terrestrial and marine habitats. Despite its remarkable environmental integrity ocean acidification has affected Morovo Lagoon, in particuler corals.

Planet earth has become warmer with human behaviour and our industries being prime contributors. Global warming is causing ocean waters to rise and the numbers of cyclones to grow and this has affected the health of coral reefs everywhere, causing spawning season to come one month early this year in Morovo. Coral bleaching occurs when Zooxanthellae (are single-celled dinoflagellates that are able to live in symbiosis with marine invertebrates such as corals, jellyfish, and sea anemones) which are pushed out of there tissue and eventually die – turning the corals white as though they have been bleached.