Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2000

Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000
exception of a more intense industry in French Polynesia. Black pearl oyster culture plays a
significant role in local economies in the Cooks and French Polynesia. Threatened reef
species include giant clams, however there are plans for reintroduction and commercial
exploitation. Regular coral reef monitoring programmes exist in French Polynesia, although
programmes are now getting underway elsewhere. The level of supporting conservation
laws and legislation varies throughout the region, yet enforcement is weak in most cases.
The major needs for reef conservation and science include increased funding levels across
all scales, broader and deeper knowledge bases, education materials, economic resource
evaluations, on-site and networked monitoring programmes, as well as increased interest at
various political levels about the real value of coral reefs to subsistence-dependent users.
INTRODUCTION
Polynesia Mana Node
This report covers the Polynesian countries of the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Kiribati,
Niue, Tokelau, Tonga and Wallis and Futuna. These countries form the ‘Polynesia Mana
Node’of the GCRMN (Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network) with co-ordination from the
CRIOBE-EPHE Research Station on Moorea. ‘Mana’ is a Polynesian term meaning supernatural
power and is used here to reflect a sense of authority and symbol for the Pacific peoples
and their desire to conserve valuable reef resources. The Polynesia Mana Node was first
initiated at the VIIth Pacific Science Association Inter-Congress in Fiji in July 1997.
Membership has evolved to embrace cultural alliances and funding opportunities, rather
than on biogeography arrangements. This node interlinks with the ‘IOI-Pacific Islands’ one
covering the southwest Pacific countries of Fiji, Nauru, New Caledonia, Samoa, Solomon
Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
National Coral Reef Status Reports
Most Polynesia Mana countries presented national coral reef status reports at the ICRI
Regional Symposium on Coral Reefs in Noumea, New Caledonia during May 2000. This
regional report is based on these national reports, and specific acknowledgements to the
following authors: Cook Islands by Ben Ponia; French Polynesia by Bernard Salvat, Pat
Hutchings, Annie Aubanel, Miri Tatarata and Claude Dauphin; Kiribati by Ed Lovell, Taratuu
Kirata and Tooti Tekinaiti; Tonga by Ed Lovell and Asipeli Palaki; Wallis and Futuna by Paino
Vanai. Reports from Kiribati and Tonga were produced with the help of IOI-Pacific Islands.
Although no reports were prepared for Niue and Tokelau, information has been drawn
from existing literature.
Although some data have not been updated since the early 1990s and major information
gaps continue to drive an urgent need to build better capacity in reef resource assessment
in some countries, a substantial process has started with the Polynesia Mana Node to rectify
these gaps and provide better information in the near to long-term. For example, a seminar
is planned in Moorea 2001 with authors of national reports and input by the South Pacific
Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to improve capacity to monitor and report on
coral reef status and foster increased coordination and collaboration between reef
scientists and users across these countries.
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