The Resilience of Coral Reefs and Its Implications for Reef Management

2010 ◽  
pp. 509-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Mumby ◽  
Robert S. Steneck
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Reef Management

scholarly journals Linking Land and Sea through Collaborative Research to Inform Contemporary applications of Traditional Resource Management in Hawai‘i

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jade Delevaux ◽  
Kawika Winter ◽  
Stacy Jupiter ◽  
Mehana Blaich-Vaughan ◽  
Kostantinos Stamoulis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Coastal Development ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
Management Approaches

Across the Pacific Islands, declining natural resources have contributed to a cultural renaissance of customary ridge-to-reef management approaches. These indigenous and community conserved areas (ICCA) are initiated by local communities to protect natural resources through customary laws. To support these efforts, managers require scientific tools that track land-sea linkages and evaluate how local management scenarios affect coral reefs. We established an interdisciplinary process and modeling framework to inform ridge-to-reef management in Hawai‘i, given increasing coastal development, fishing and climate change related impacts. We applied our framework at opposite ends of the Hawaiian Archipelago, in Hā‘ena and Ka‘ūpūlehu, where local communities have implemented customary resource management approaches through government-recognized processes to perpetuate traditional food systems and cultural practices. We identified coral reefs vulnerable to groundwater-based nutrients and linked them to areas on land, where appropriate management of human-derived nutrients could prevent increases in benthic algae and promote coral recovery from bleaching. Our results demonstrate the value of interdisciplinary collaborations among researchers, managers and community members. We discuss the lessons learned from our culturally-grounded, inclusive research process and highlight critical aspects of collaboration necessary to develop tools that can inform placed-based solutions to local environmental threats and foster coral reef resilience.

scholarly journals Potential contribution of fish restocking to the recovery of deteriorated coral reefs: an alternative restoration method?

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uri Obolski ◽  
Lilach Hadany ◽  
Avigdor Abelson
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
Reef Restoration ◽  
Reef Recovery ◽  
Restoration Method

Counteracting the worldwide trend of coral reef degeneration is a major challenge for the scientific community. A crucial management approach to minimizing stress effects on healthy reefs and helping the recovery of disturbed reefs is reef protection. However, the current rapid decline of the world's reefs suggests that protection might be insufficient as a viable stand-alone management approach for some reefs. We thus suggest that the ecological restoration of coral reefs (CRR) should be considered as a valid component of coral reef management, in addition to protection, if the applied method is economically applicable and scalable. This theoretical study examines the potential applicability and outcomes of restocking grazers as a restoration tool for coral reef recovery – a tool that has not been applied so far in reef restoration projects. We studied the effect of restocking grazing fish as a restoration method using a mathematical model of degrading reefs, and analyzed the financial outcomes of the restocking intervention. The results suggest that applying this restoration method, in addition to protection, can facilitate reef recovery. Moreover, our analysis suggests that the restocking approach almost always becomes profitable within several years. Considering the relatively low cost of this restoration approach and the feasibility of mass production of herbivorous fish, we suggest that this approach should be considered and examined as an additional viable restoration tool for coral reefs.

scholarly journals STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE LEMBEH STRAITS AND ADJACENT WATER, NORTH SULAWESI

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-61
Author(s):  
Suharsono
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
Habitat Variability ◽  
North Sulawesi

Lembeh reefs and its water surrounding are among the richest and most diverse in marine biota in Indonesia. The biota and reefs in this area have an important contribution to the province’s economy in the form of tourisms and fishery activities. An inventory using line intercept transect and free collection on the coral diversity has been conducted in four different locations showed that live coral cover ranging from 12.2–60.7% while sand rubble ranged from 4.67 to 78.67%. Among the life form categories, sponge dominated other biota with 0.47–21.97% coverage. Macro algae and turf algae cover were low at all sites, with average less than 2.07%. A total of 193 corals species belonging to 68 genera were recognized from this area. The differences among sites may be consequences of water quality, habitat variability and condition of the land base activities. Water turbidity in the coastal area of Kema was high due to the effects of water discharge from river mouth. Further, poor land management, development of port and human settlement leading to sedimentation, water pollution and poor water quality, remain the primary causes of reefs declines. Busy harbor and local sea transportation will be the major cause of coral reef degradation in the near future. There is a need to increase awareness of local people about the important of coral reefs and to develop management and conservation efforts involving scientists, academe and tourist operators. In addition, it is a need to strengthen the capabilities and capacities of institutions that concern reef management and enforce legislation. 

scholarly journals Potential contribution of fish restocking to the recovery of deteriorated coral reefs: an alternative restoration method?

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uri Obolski ◽  
Lilach Hadany ◽  
Avigdor Abelson
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
Reef Restoration ◽  
Reef Recovery ◽  
Restoration Method

Counteracting the worldwide trend of coral reef degeneration is a major challenge for the scientific community. A crucial management approach to minimizing stress effects on healthy reefs and helping the recovery of disturbed reefs is reef protection. However, the current rapid decline of the world’s reefs suggests that protection might be insufficient as a viable stand-alone management approach for some reefs. We thus suggest that the ecological restoration of coral reefs (CRR) should be considered as a valid component of coral reef management, in addition to protection, if the applied method is economically applicable and scalable. This theoretical study examines the potential applicability and outcomes of restocking grazers as a restoration tool for coral reef recovery—a tool that has not been applied so far in reef restoration projects. We studied the effect of restocking grazing fish as a restoration method using a mathematical model of degrading reefs, and analyzed the financial outcomes of the restocking intervention. The results suggest that applying this restoration method, in addition to protection, can facilitate reef recovery. Moreover, our analysis suggests that the restocking approach almost always becomes profitable within several years. Considering the relatively low cost of this restoration approach and the feasibility of mass production of herbivorous fish, we suggest that this approach should be considered and examined as an additional viable restoration tool for coral reefs.

scholarly journals THE ROLE OF COASTAL COMMUNITIES ON CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT IN AREA OF EASTERN COASTAL WATER CONSERVATION WEH ISLAND

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Nurul Najmi ◽  
Mai Suriani ◽  
Mira Mauliza Rahmi ◽  
Dini Islama ◽  
Muhammad Arif Nasution
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Management Activity ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
The Government

The role of coastal communities in the preservation of coral reefs is an important thing to supporting the sustainable management of coastal areas. This article is objected to determine the coastal communities’ role in the management of coral reefs in water conservation areas and the level of knowledge of the coastal communities about the importance of protecting coastal ecosystems. Data were collected by distributing questionnaires, direct interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and the results were elaborated based on descriptive analysis. The results showed that the community had begun to realize how important it is to protect coral reefs for the sustainability of fisheries and other benefits of coral reefs. Healthy reefs provide many benefits to people including improving the economy of the community and increasing tourists. Community awareness is shown by their participation in activities that lead to the conservation and management of coral reefs such as transplantation of coral reefs, beach cleaning, banner making, tree planting and provision of trash bins along the coast. Those who knew the benefits and functions of coral reefs both for increasing fish populations, increasing tourists and improving the economy of the community, as well as other benefits of coral reefs for the coastal areas, was 74.5%. The role of community in the aspects of coastal and marine ecosystems management was high, as many as 72% of the community participate in every coastal and marine ecosystem management activity carried out by the government and local NGOs.

scholarly journals High-resolution modeling of thermal thresholds and environmental influences on coral bleaching for local and regional reef management

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoki H. Kumagai ◽  
Hiroya Yamano ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Uv Radiation ◽  
Coral Bleaching ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Thermal Indices ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
Water Turbidity ◽  
Thermal Thresholds ◽  
Cooling Effects

Coral reefs are one of the world’s most threatened ecosystems, with global and local stressors contributing to their decline. Excessive sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) can cause coral bleaching, resulting in coral death and decreases in coral cover. A SST threshold of 1 °C over the climatological maximum is widely used to predict coral bleaching. In this study, we refined thermal indices predicting coral bleaching at high-spatial resolution (1 km) by statistically optimizing thermal thresholds, as well as considering other environmental influences on bleaching such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation, water turbidity, and cooling effects. We used a coral bleaching dataset derived from the web-based monitoring system Sango Map Project, at scales appropriate for the local and regional conservation of Japanese coral reefs. We recorded coral bleaching events in the years 2004–2016 in Japan. We revealed the influence of multiple factors on the ability to predict coral bleaching, including selection of thermal indices, statistical optimization of thermal thresholds, quantification of multiple environmental influences, and use of multiple modeling methods (generalized linear models and random forests). After optimization, differences in predictive ability among thermal indices were negligible. Thermal index, UV radiation, water turbidity, and cooling effects were important predictors of the occurrence of coral bleaching. Predictions based on the best model revealed that coral reefs in Japan have experienced recent and widespread bleaching. A practical method to reduce bleaching frequency by screening UV radiation was also demonstrated in this paper.

scholarly journals Evaluating the efficacy of management zones in the FKNMS: Integrating visual and photogrammetric surveys, and passive acoustics to characterize reef fish assemblages and spawning activity across coral reef management regimes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayelyn Simmons ◽  
DelWayne Bohnenstiehl ◽  
David Eggleston
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Marine Reserve ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Marine Ecology ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
Passive Acoustics ◽  
Low Frequencies

New technological approaches in marine ecology, such as (1) passive acoustics to characterize underwater soundscapes, and (2) habitat photogrammetry, which provides high-res, 3D images of habitats, can facilitate efficient and accurate assessments of coral reefs. In collaboration with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) and NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP), multidisciplinary, non-invasive research approaches provide transformative ways to characterize reef fish biodiversity as well as the ecological function of essential, hard-bottom habitats. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) is an ideal study system due to several replicate marine reserve types in addition to existing historical data on reef fish and benthic communities. Underwater soundscape results show significantly different spectral patterns for each site, such that protected sites displayed higher average spectra in low frequencies than fished sites. Additionally, species and family-specific fish chorusing was identified during crepuscular hours at several protected sites. Photogrammetry surveys produced a 3D elevation model used to characterize differences in coral composition contributing to vertical relief. Initial results suggest biodiversity and other ecosystem metrics generally increase with level of protection. These data provide critical baseline evaluations for Post- Hurricane Irma impacts and may assist in monitoring the recovery of coral reefs.

scholarly journals Exploring the Lack of Funding for Coral Reef Research and it’s Effects on Coral Reef Management and Conservation

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna Bushnell ◽  
Soo Park
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Marine Biology ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
Research Programs ◽  
College Professor ◽  
Initial Assumption ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems

Climate change is greatly harming coral reefs (Gibbs and West, 2019). It is important to research how to help these coral reefs build resilience against climate change but research programs are severely underfunded (Johnston et al. 2020). This paper explored how lack of funding prevents scientists from saving coral reefs and how scientists themselves can be affected. The goal of this paper was to bring to light the struggles faced in the midst of underfunding to feasibly gain support from politicians and government officials to promote funding for these programs. Through three virtual interviews with two scientists and one college professor, I gathered personal experiences from these participants on how coral reefs are being affected today, why research is necessary, and how lack of funding prevents the restoration of these reefs. With the use of a thematic analysis, I was able to recognize common themes between the interviews in order to conclude how lack of program funding prevents scientists from managing and restoring these coral reef ecosystems. The initial assumption for this paper was that coral reef research is underfunded because coral reefs are considered less important, however, the analysis of the data for this paper concluded that all research programs are underfunded. In essence, marine biology, in general, is underfunded as opposed to mainly research on coral reefs. As a result, scientists can be very limited in their abilities to conduct research.

scholarly journals In Situ Observations of Foraminiferal Bleaching in the Maldives, Indian Ocean

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Spezzaferri ◽  
Akram El Kateb ◽  
Chiara Pisapia ◽  
Pamela Hallock
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Bleaching ◽  
Solar Irradiance ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
Recent Onset ◽  
The North ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
In Situ Observations

Abstract Coral reefs are threatened worldwide by a variety of natural and human-induced stressors; anomalous temperatures are presently among the most serious threats by causing extensive coral bleaching. Amphistegina spp. exhibit similar bleaching as corals in the presence of photo-oxidative stress induced by either light or temperature, especially during times of maximum solar irradiance. At 11 islands (34 sampling sites) in the North Ari Atoll in the Maldives, bleaching in Amphistegina was observed a few weeks before the onset of an extensive El Niño-related coral bleaching that was more severe than expected for this region. Assessment using the Amphistegina Bleaching Index (ABI) showed that the proportions of bleached specimens of Amphistegina in April–May 2015 can be explained by photo-inhibitory stress associated with temperatures exceeding 30°C during peak seasonal solar irradiance and water transparency. Importantly, the ABI indicates that environmental conditions are suitable for Amphistegina and other calcifying symbioses at most of the investigated sites, and that either chronic or relatively recent onset of photo-oxidative stress was present at the time of sampling. The observed bleaching in Amphistegina further demonstrates the potential of these unicellular protists to identify stressors in coral reefs; such applications should be considered in future reef-management plans.

scholarly journals ESTIMASI DANA MASYAKARAT MELALUI VALUASI EKONOMI KERUSAKAN TERUMBU KARANG DI DESA POKA KOTA AMBON

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Eygner Talakua
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Economic Valuation ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Rehabilitation Program ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Community Perception ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
The People

Ambon Bay, Ambon City is a region with high anthropogenic pressure and is very influential on coastal and marine resources, especially coral reefs. Damage to coral reefs in Ambon Bay occurred in Poka Village, handling has been done through the rehabilitation program with coral transplantation techniques, but the need for support and community participation in its management. One of the factors not yet successful management of coral reefs is lack of funds, whereas according to the rules of fund of coral reef management activities one of them can be sourced from the community. This study aims to determine the perception of the community on the existence of coral reefs, analyze the economic value of coral reef damage, and estimate community funds to repair damage to coral reefs in Poka Village, Ambon City. The study was conducted from January to May 2018 using case study method. A sample of 107 heads of households was obtained through proposive sampling and techniques of economical sampling of economies. The data analysis consisted of the analysis of community perception using the likeness scale on three indicators: knowledge, benefit, and coral reef damage; analysis of non-market economic valuation through CVM method; and estimates of community funds through the calculation of the total value of willingness to pay based on the number of people who are willing.The results showed that: 1). The perception of most of the people is very know and know the existence of coral reefs in Poka Village, only a small perception of hesitate and do not know; 2). There is a relationship of perception and willingness to pay the community to repair damage to coral reefs in Poka Village; 3). The economic value of coral reef damage is Rp. 4.288.000, - / month or Rp 51.456.000, - / year; and 4.) The estimation of community fund for coral reef damage in Poka Village is Rp 3,888,322,95 / month or Rp 46,659,875,46 / year.

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