China destroys reefs, anyone object?

I have frequently note that few "green" types seem to be worried about China's destruction of the reefs and fishing grounds in the West Philippine Sea (compare and contrast to the on line hysteria over dead lions or gorillas).

That is not exactly true.

NYTimes article a year ago did notice it. Actually they didn't notice it, they just quoted a local official who complained

He said China’s neighbors in the South China Sea could lose up to $100 million a year because of the loss of the coral reefs, which are breeding grounds for high-value fish harvested by countries surrounding the sea.

China has been undertaking land reclamation projects on the sand spits, islets and submerged reefs of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, according to satellite images

Land "reclamation"? That implies that these places were once islands and are being restored. HELLO. They are shoals and never were islands, and the "reclamation" is destroying the ecology of the region.

The rest of the article is about the yearly PhilAm military exercizes that are now upsetting China, even though they have gone on every year since I have lived here (11 years).

 local environmentalists have complained and demonstrated, as have local fishermen. Also from last year:

The environmental group said that China’s military activities in the disputed area will ”increase the risk of coral reef destruction, toxic and hazardous waste dumping, and the depletion of fisheries.”
Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/122754/environmentalists-demand-china-to-stop-ecological-destruction-in-west-ph-sea#ixzz4BKiHyrdG Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook