I Witness: Crown of Thorns

Recently, an outbreak occurred in the province of Camarines Norte in the Philippines. It involved the destruction of coral reefs nestled on the seabed of the Pacific Ocean. The culprits are the growing number of species called crown of thorns. They attach themselves like glue to the corals slowly eat them, thus killing them in the process. Coral reefs are essential because they provide protection and shelter for different marine species. However, the crown of thorns increases in number because they lay thousands of eggs. Destruction of the coral reefs is quickly spreading. Art Andaya, a native of Camarines Norte, volunteered to help in curtailing the population of the crown of thorns. He gathered a group of residents and asked for help from the Local Government Unit and Non-Government Organizations to provide them with resources. They dive each day to detach the crown of thorns from the stems of the corals. I-Witness host Atom Araullo dives with Art and his team to remove the crown of thorns, and they find out that most of the corals are now on the brink of death if the problem is not addressed.