Overview
- Japan Nature Conservation Society released January 11 results from visual reef checks conducted on January 6, 9 and 11 in Oura Bay off Henoko, Nago, Okinawa.
- All four survey sites next to the planned reclamation area recorded year‑on‑year decreases in coral cover.
- Researchers measured 'cover' as the proportion of seabed occupied by living coral, a standard rapid assessment metric.
- Lead researcher Mariko Abe said construction does not benefit coral while noting that a causal link to the observed decline is currently unknown.
- The surveys focus on waters near the planned relocation site for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma air station, an area under ongoing environmental scrutiny.