CMG releases ecological survey documentary: "Ren 'ai Jiao: Teardrop of Nansha Qundao"

CMG (China Media Group) Voice of the South China Sea released its first documentary on the ecological survey of Ren'ai Jiao, entitled "Ren'ai Jiao: Teardrop of the Nansha Qundao", on Monday.

In April 2024, a marine ecological survey team composed of Chinese scientists launched a two-month investigation on the Ren'ai Jiao (Ren'ai Reef) of China's Nansha Qundao (Nansha Islands). Based on the investigation, a Survey Report on the Damage to Coral Reef Ecosystem by Illegally Grounded Military Vessel at Ren'ai Jiao was officially released on Monday by the South China Sea Ecological Center and the South China Sea Development Research Institute under China's Ministry of Natural Resources. The report shows that the decaying illegal grounded vessel and associated human activities have caused sustained and cumulative damage to the reef ecosystem on Ren'ai Jiao.

The documentary "Ren'ai Jiao: Teardrop of the Nansha Qundao" interviewed many scientists and team members who participated in the remote sensing images collecting and on-site investigation, and showed the fatal damage to the coral reef ecosystem of Ren'ai Jiao caused by a "grounded" Philippine warship in high-definition images and 3D animation. It analyzed the main reasons for the degradation of the coral reef ecosystem of Ren 'ai Jiao.

Audiences can learn from the documentary that the population structure of macrobenthic invertebrates in the reef area is unbalanced, with heavy metals, oils and active phosphates in the seawater in the reef area significantly higher than historical records.

The following is a transcript of the documentary:

This is Ren'ai Jiao, some 17 kilometers long from north to south and 5.5 kilometers wide from east to west. It is part of China's Nansha Qundao and is locally known as "Duanjie" by fishermen.

In 1999, a Philippine military warship was grounded here due to the Philippines' illegitimate claim. The grounding of the vessel has caused severe damage to the ecosystem of Ren'ai Jiao.

Data shows that from 2011 to 2024, coverage area of reef-building coral has decreased by 87.3 percent within a 400-meter radius around the vessel.

For years, all this happened quietly. However, there are no records indicating Ren'ai Jiao has ever encountered any significant weather events or nature-induced ecological crises in recent years.

So why is the coral dying here? Who is the killer?

"First, by Satellite Remote Sensing surveys, we found that the coverage area of hermatypic coral on the reefs of Ren'ai Jiao decreased by 38.2 percent in 2024 compared with 2011, and the coral within a 400-meter radius of the warship had decreased by some 87.3 percent," said Wei Zheng, director of South China Sea Development Research Institute's Marine Remote Sensing and Mapping Laboratory.

The results suggest that it is the warship itself (that is) causing the destruction of the reef.

"In April 2024, we sent out a professional scientific research team to set up 18 survey stations on Ren'ai Jiao to monitor 75 factors across four categories - the coral community, reef-associated organisms, ecological environment and human activities. The result was then compared with the result based on satellite remote sensing data," said Xiong Xiaofei, the chief scientist of the Ren'ai Jiao investigation group.

Before drawing the conclusion, here we need to give you some scientific knowledge. Damages to coral reef ecosystems are usually caused by climate change, typhoons, predators, and human activity.

"However, since 1999, no destructive typhoons, mass coral bleaching, or signs of harmful organisms blooming events at Ren'ai Jiao has been seen," said Lyu Yihua, director of the Early Warning Office of the South China Sea Ecological Center.

Since no other explanation for the damage is deemed reasonable, scientists focused their attention on the illegally-grounded vessel itself.

"During the survey, we noticed that the vessel was severely corroded. The Philippine personnel seemed extremely nervous of our presence and sent many people to interfere with our work," said Xiong.

The grounded vessel has dealt a devastating blow to the coral reef. Furthermore, the large chunks of coral reef fragments led by the violent collision delivered by the grounding process, wildly spread to the surrounding areas by the waves and currents and thereby greatly inhibiting the growth and recovery of the coral.

"It is determined that the concentration of heavy metals as mercury, copper and zinc in the waters near Ren'ai Jiao is significantly higher than that before the vessel grounding. It is reasonable to attribute the fact to the vessel corroding," Lyu said.

Here is another piece of scientific knowledge. Heavy metals jeopardize coral growth. Among other heavy metals, the element of mercury builds up in the marine food chain, damages coral tissue and causes metabolic abnormalities of coral reefs. In the area we have found oil and dissolved organic phosphates, which severely damage the cellular structure of coral, reduce immunity and jeopardize the health of the entire coral reef ecosystem.

"In the area we also have found the abnormally high levels of dissolved organic phosphate. Such fact is considered to be led by long-term discharge of wastewater with high phosphorus concentration," Lyu said.

Normally, when ambient concentration level of dissolved organic phosphate in seawater exceeds 3.1 micrograms per liter, coral immunity will be irreversibly curtailed, and coral reproduction inhibition follows.

"We saw many abandoned buoys, nets and fishing lines on Ren'ai Jiao, especially near the warship, some of which were entangled on the coral, causing much of it to die. Sea life such as shrimp, crabs, horseshoe snails, and sea cucumbers - which should be quite plentiful in coral reef ecosystems - were largely absent from the site, suggesting that the biological population of the area is unbalanced. These conditions are all related to the grounded vessel and Philippine fishing activities in the area," said Xiong.

Now we're able to confirm that the illegally grounded warship is the culprit of the coral reef ecosystem damage to Ren'ai Jiao.

"Ren'ai Jiao should be a very beautiful place. It is only by removing the contamination source - the grounded warship - can the damaged coral reef ecosystem be restored," Xiong said.

The ocean is home to diverse living creatures, including humans. No one has the right to destroy it.

Overlooked from high above, the damaged reef looks like a teardrop indicating the reef crying for the greed and ignorance of humans. The Chinese name of the reef, Ren'ai, means benevolence, as Chinese people expect her to be cherished, protected and well treated by everyone and kept peaceful and beautiful forever.

CMG releases ecological survey documentary: "Ren 'ai Jiao: Teardrop of Nansha Qundao"

China has made significant progress in economic transformation toward emerging and future industries as well new business models by developing new quality productive forces.

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New quality productive forces reshaping China's economic landscape