Post by tekmac on Aug 29, 2005 14:16:54 GMT -5
Twenty per cent of coral reefs worldwide have been effectively destroyed and show no immediate prospects for recovery. Twenty-four percent of the world’s reefs are under imminent risk of collapse through human pressures, and a further 26% are under longer-term threat of collapse. Coral reefs in the Caribbean are undergoing major declines, with coral cover on many Caribbean reefs having declined by up to 80%. These are among the findings of Status of Coral Reefs 2004, compiled by more than 240 contributors from 98 countries and published by the multinational Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN).
The report identifies the “top ten” threats to coral reefs, in three major areas:
Global Change Threats
* Coral bleaching, caused by elevated sea surface temperatures due to global climate change;
* Rising levels of CO2, causingdecreased calcification rates in coral reef organisms;
* Increases in diseases and plagues of coral predators;
Direct Human Pressures
* Over-fishing;
* Sediments from poor land use, deforestation, and dredging;
* Nutrients and chemical pollution;
* Development of coastal areas;
The Human Dimension – Governance, Awareness and Political Will
* Rising poverty, increasing populations, and “alienation from the land”;
* Poor capacity for management and lack of resources;
* Lack of political will.
Not all news is bad. Reefs continue to be in relatively good condition in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as in much of the South Pacific, and there has been significant (if patchy) reef recovery in East Africa. There has been a growing awareness of the need for coral protection and of the steps that are required to bring that protection to fruition. The world’s largest reef, the Great Barrier Reef, has seen an increase in the amount of no-take areas from 5% to 33%. Even so, overall the forecast is not rosy. There are few encouraging signs for reefs in the high biodiversity areas of Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, where human pressures on coral reefs continue to increase. Although reefs in the American Caribbean appear to have stabilized after massive losses in the 1980s and 1990s, this stabilization is at much lower levels of coral cover and “therefore, there is little reason for optimism.”
The report concludes with a series of recommendations for necessary action to conserve coral reefs. These recommendations focus on:
* Reducing and, where possible, removing the direct pressures on coral reefs through integrated catchment and coastal management to minimize the inflow of polluting sediments and nutrients into reef waters;
* Managing coral reef fisheries in an attempt to make them sustainable and prohibit damaging fishing practices;
* Improving fisheries yields by protecting breeding stocks in no-take Marine Protected Areas ( MPAs), protecting spawning sites, and also in selective breeding programs to satisfy the Asian restaurant market for live reef fish;
* Involving local communities in the design and management of MPAs and enforcement of regulations;
* Developing networks of MPAs that are larger, contain the most resistant and resilient coral and other organism populations, and are connected to ensure a free transfer of new larvae to restock the reefs and repair damage; and
* Acting locally and globally to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases that are driving global climate change inexorably toward massive destruction of coral reefs and the possible extinction of many coral reef species.
Source: Wilkinson, C., ed. 2004. Status of Coral reefs of the World: 2004. 2 vols. Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network/Australian Institute of Marine Science.
The report identifies the “top ten” threats to coral reefs, in three major areas:
Global Change Threats
* Coral bleaching, caused by elevated sea surface temperatures due to global climate change;
* Rising levels of CO2, causingdecreased calcification rates in coral reef organisms;
* Increases in diseases and plagues of coral predators;
Direct Human Pressures
* Over-fishing;
* Sediments from poor land use, deforestation, and dredging;
* Nutrients and chemical pollution;
* Development of coastal areas;
The Human Dimension – Governance, Awareness and Political Will
* Rising poverty, increasing populations, and “alienation from the land”;
* Poor capacity for management and lack of resources;
* Lack of political will.
Not all news is bad. Reefs continue to be in relatively good condition in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as in much of the South Pacific, and there has been significant (if patchy) reef recovery in East Africa. There has been a growing awareness of the need for coral protection and of the steps that are required to bring that protection to fruition. The world’s largest reef, the Great Barrier Reef, has seen an increase in the amount of no-take areas from 5% to 33%. Even so, overall the forecast is not rosy. There are few encouraging signs for reefs in the high biodiversity areas of Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, where human pressures on coral reefs continue to increase. Although reefs in the American Caribbean appear to have stabilized after massive losses in the 1980s and 1990s, this stabilization is at much lower levels of coral cover and “therefore, there is little reason for optimism.”
The report concludes with a series of recommendations for necessary action to conserve coral reefs. These recommendations focus on:
* Reducing and, where possible, removing the direct pressures on coral reefs through integrated catchment and coastal management to minimize the inflow of polluting sediments and nutrients into reef waters;
* Managing coral reef fisheries in an attempt to make them sustainable and prohibit damaging fishing practices;
* Improving fisheries yields by protecting breeding stocks in no-take Marine Protected Areas ( MPAs), protecting spawning sites, and also in selective breeding programs to satisfy the Asian restaurant market for live reef fish;
* Involving local communities in the design and management of MPAs and enforcement of regulations;
* Developing networks of MPAs that are larger, contain the most resistant and resilient coral and other organism populations, and are connected to ensure a free transfer of new larvae to restock the reefs and repair damage; and
* Acting locally and globally to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases that are driving global climate change inexorably toward massive destruction of coral reefs and the possible extinction of many coral reef species.
Source: Wilkinson, C., ed. 2004. Status of Coral reefs of the World: 2004. 2 vols. Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network/Australian Institute of Marine Science.