Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2000

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Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000 FIJI Nauru New Samoa Solomon Tuvalu Vanuatu Caledonia Islands Corals (stony) 198 ? 300 >50 ? ? ? Molluscs 478 ? 5,500 ? ? ? ? Seagrasses 4 0 ? 2 7 ? ? Mangroves 9 1 ? 3 26 3 ? Benthic Algae 422 >40 350 >287 233 ? ? Fishes 1198 ? 1,950 991 725 400 469 Turtles 3 ? 4 3 5 ? ? Sponges ? ? 600 ? 31 ? ? Current state of biodiversity knowledge in the region with a ? indicating that there is no reported information resulting in massive sediment increases; and • monitoring programmes, and appropriate legislation to protect reefs is lacking. Tuvalu • most reefs and biodiversity are poorly documented, except Funafuti Lagoon; • sand mining is causing significant degradation of reefs; • ciguatera poisoning is a serious problem; and • cyclones have caused serious damage. Vanuatu • the reefs have deteriorated since 1985, with 50% of reefs now considered degraded; • there is a high incidence of ciguatera poisoning; • cyclones have impacted on reefs, but the impacts were not assessed; and • some reefs are still pristine with exceptional water clarity. BIODIVERSITY PERSPECTIVES Coral reefs of this region are part of the broader Indo-Pacific major biodiversity ecoregion, illustrating a general reduction in marine biodiversity from west to east. Small countries with few reef habitats, like Nauru, have fewer species than the Solomons and Fiji, with many more reef types. There is a serious lack of information on biodiversity of most trophic groups for most countries, with only fishes and benthic algae being studied to some depth. Many areas remain unexplored, and there is currently no regional database on coral reef biodiversity. This lack of information is hampering attempts to identify vulnerable or important species-rich areas for conservation, except for highly conspicuous animals like marine turtles, which are the focus of region-wide conservation efforts by SPREP and others. The rate of extinctions for most marine species is not known, but it is likely that many species have already been lost through reef degradation, even before they were named. There is probably a very low rate of endemism among the marine biota, although some sub-species may have developed because of the isolation of many reefs. 164
Status of Coral Reefs in the Southwest Pacific Stress & Fiji Nauru New Samoa Solomon Tuvalu Vanuatu (score) Caledonia Islands Coral Harvesting/ (7) 2 0 2 1 2 0 0 Fish Trade Oil Spills (8) 3 0 2 1 2 0 0 Destructive fishing (9) 4 0 0 4 0 0 1 Acanthaster (11) 4 0 2 1 2 0 2 Coral Bleaching (11) 5 0 2 2 1 0 1 Tourism (12) 4 0 3 2 2 0 1 Urbanisation (12) 3 1 2 2 2 0 2 Extraction (14) 3 0 0 3 2 4 2 Pollution (16) 4 1 4 2 2 0 3 Climate change (18) 4 1 1 3 2 5 2 Coastal Alteration (17) 4 1 2 2 1 3 4 Cyclones (18) 5 0 1 5 0 3 4 Overfishing (19) 4 2 2 4 3 3 1 Sedimentation (19) 5 0 4 3 3 0 4 TOTAL IMPACT 54 6 27 35 24 18 27 RATINGS National experts rated causes of coral reef degradation as follows: 0 = no threat; 1 = low threat; 2 = localised low threat; 3 = average threat; 4 = localised major threat; 5 = general major threat. There is a serious lack of marine biologists and taxonomists among Pacific Island nationals. Therefore, most biodiversity studies have been carried out by outside experts, and the specimens deposited in collections all over the world. USP has established a Marine Biodiversity Collection in Suva, Fiji with important collections of corals, invertebrates, fishes and benthic algae. This could become the nucleus of an important regional biodiversity collection; however, much work remains to be done to document coral reef biodiversity of the region. This is essential as baseline information upon which degradation can be monitored and reversed. Such potential taxonomic information limits threaten the growth of bioprospecting as a potentially important new activity in the region, especially in Fiji. Specimens are collected, identified, and extracted to seek potentially useful compounds, such as beqamide, an anti-cancer substance found in Fiji sponges. While the bioprospecting success rate is extremely low, there are parallel challenges on intellectual property rights that must be addressed. CAUSES OF CORAL REEF DEGRADATION Most of the reefs in the area have been impacted by the same suite of natural and anthropogenic impacts but there is insufficient monitoring information to prepare detailed ‘state of reefs’ reports. Reef degradation is highest in Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu with overfishing of nearshore resources being a common problem throughout. Some of the most important target species, like giant clams, are rare or extinct throughout the region. Coastal development and habitat destruction, like clearing of mangroves, is prevalent, and pollution is serious near urban areas where there is a lack of sewage treatment and proper waste disposal. Sand and rock mining causes reef degradation in atolls, and there is significant sedimentation and eutrophication in the larger countries (Fiji, New Caledonia and 165
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FOREWORD Over the past few years, I
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CONTENTS COUNTRIES, STATES AND TERR
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COUNTRIES, STATES AND TERRITORIES A
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Countries, States and Territories T
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CLIVE WILKINSON T
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Executive Summary CORAL BLEACHING I
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Executive Summary South Asia Most r
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Executive Summary parts of Fiji and
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Executive Summary management and mo
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Executive Summary tourism developme
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Executive Summary problem is loomin
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6. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN SOUTH A
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Status of Coral Reefs in South Asia
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Status of Coral Reefs of American S
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Status of Coral Reefs of American S
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15. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE NO
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Status of Coral Reefs in the Northe
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17. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE EA
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Status of Coral Reefs in the Easter
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18. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN SOUTHE
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Status of Coral Reefs in Southern T
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19. SPONSORING ORGANISATIONS, CORAL
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Sponsoring Organisations, Coral Ree
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LIST OF ACRONYMS AGRRA AIMS ASEAN B
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