Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2000

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000 Texas Flower Garden Banks Regulations governing the FGBNMS under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, as amended, 16 U.S.C. 1431 are contained within the Code of Federal Regulations and can be viewed on the web at: http://www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/oms/pdfs/FlowerGardensRegs.pdf. US Virgin Islands The US Department of Interior, the US Department of Commerce (including NOAA and the Caribbean Fishery Management Council), and the USVI Government all have policies, laws and legislation relating to coral reefs in the USVI. The Code of Federal Regulations Title 36 and the enabling legislation for Virgin Islands National Park and Buck Island Reef National Monument relate to reefs in the national parks. The Caribbean Fishery Management Council has Reef Fish and Coral Reef Management Plans with regulations pertaining to federal waters. Title 12 of the Virgin Islands Code presents environmental laws and regulations of the Virgin Islands. Several specific Acts relate to regulations on corals, fishing, etc. Navassa A 12-mile fringe of marine habitat around Navassa (estimated at 134,000ha) is under US Fish and Wildlife management. Refuge policies allow subsistence fishing. GAPS IN CURRENT MONITORING AND CONSERVATION CAPACITY Florida East Coast There is no comprehensive and systematic monitoring programme for these reefs, yet one is needed to provide a baseline assessment. Site selection should ensure that representative habitats and unique sites are mapped and monitored. This will require that a selection committee of academic, county, state, conservation and fishing groups be constituted, and decisions rapidly disseminated for public discussion. Florida Keys Current monitoring in the Sanctuary has focused largely on detecting changes in designated no-take zones and establishing the status and trends in corals, seagrasses, and water quality. Such monitoring must continue in the short-term until solid baseline data are obtained. This baseline will assist in detecting possible long-term changes in communities that may result from management practices (e.g. zoning) or from massive restoration efforts soon to be implemented in south Florida’s Everglades. Texas Flower Garden Banks Recent observations of increased algal abundance highlight the need to improve water quality monitoring and assess currents and water circulation. The monitoring should include studies on algal populations, coral diseases, and extend to deeper coral reef communities. The great distance of the Sanctuary offshore makes surveillance and enforcement more difficult. Currently, the Sanctuary does not own a boat and relies on charter vessels to get to the area. Recent indications that the Banks may be important spawning areas for several grouper species highlight the need to create a marine reserve to protect the biodiversity of this area. 254
Status of Coral Reefs in the US Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico US Virgin Islands Some of the longest data sets on coral reefs in the Caribbean come from a diverse array of ongoing monitoring activities. However, intensive, long-term monitoring has only been conducted at a few sites around St. Croix and St. John, with less information for St. Thomas. Coral reef monitoring needs to be extended to include a wider variety of coral habitats and more sites to provide managers with critical information to enable further protection and preservation of key reef areas. Very little is known of the deeper reefs around the USVI especially in the critical grouper and snapper spawning aggregation sites along the shelf edge. Some of these reefs have exceptionally high coral cover. Little is known about the interactions among reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds and how the deterioration of mangroves and seagrass beds contributes to the degradation of coral reefs. All agencies involved in coral reef monitoring suffer from a shortage of staff, and enforcement of regulations has been limited. The Code of Federal Regulations states that commercial fishing is prohibited ‘except where specifically authorised by Federal Statutory law’. However, commercial fishing is occurring in the waters of Virgin Islands National Park and Buck Island Reef National Monument. Navassa There is no monitoring program ongoing nor even planned for Navassa reefs, nor the artisinal fisheries. This presents an important opportunity to assess the impacts of artisanal reef fisheries in the absence of other direct anthropogenic effects. CONCLUSIONS Florida East Coast and Keys These coral reefs are in a rapid and unprecedented state of declining health, signalling that habitats in the ocean are responding to high human stresses over 4 decades. Corrective actions are required at all levels of national governments; this further emphasises the importance of the US Coral Reef Task Force. National and State leaders in the United States are paying closer attention to the problems confronting coral reefs, but it will take continued commitment and dedication for coral reefs to be protected and conserved for future generations. While there is a fine line between being an alarmist and a strong advocate for coral reef protection and conservation, decisions by people at the local level will have the greatest influence on the survival of coral reefs. It is not too late to take action and it is imperative that people continue to seek solutions to the problems which affect coral reefs. Coral colonies fragmented during Hurricane Georges in 1998 are re-establishing in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, indicating that the strong regeneration capacity of the reefs will result in recovery of these damaged reefs, provided that the major human stresses (pollution, sedimentation, over-fishing, and physical impact damage) are controlled. 2000 has been a good year for recruitment of staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis), which indicates that management interventions can help coral reefs survive. The following are recommendations for action in the Florida Keys that if implemented along with other local recommendations could have significant positive impacts on a regional scale: 255
Page 1 and 2:
Status of Coral Reefs of the World:
Page 3 and 4:
FOREWORD Over the past few years, I
Page 5 and 6:
CONTENTS COUNTRIES, STATES AND TERR
Page 7 and 8:
COUNTRIES, STATES AND TERRITORIES A
Page 9:
Countries, States and Territories T
Page 12 and 13:
Page 14 and 15:
Page 16 and 17:
Page 19 and 20:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CLIVE WILKINSON T
Page 21 and 22:
Executive Summary CORAL BLEACHING I
Page 23 and 24:
Executive Summary South Asia Most r
Page 25 and 26:
Executive Summary parts of Fiji and
Page 27 and 28:
Executive Summary management and mo
Page 29 and 30:
Executive Summary tourism developme
Page 31:
Executive Summary problem is loomin
Page 34 and 35:
Page 36 and 37:
Page 38 and 39:
Page 40 and 41:
Page 42 and 43:
Page 44 and 45:
Page 46 and 47:
Page 48 and 49:
Page 50 and 51:
Page 52 and 53:
Page 54 and 55:
Page 56 and 57:
Page 58 and 59:
Page 60 and 61:
Page 62 and 63:
Page 64 and 65:
Page 66 and 67:
Page 68 and 69:
Page 70 and 71:
Page 72 and 73:
Page 74 and 75:
Page 76 and 77:
Page 78 and 79:
Page 80 and 81:
Page 82 and 83:
Page 84 and 85:
Page 86 and 87:
Page 88 and 89:
Page 90 and 91:
Page 92 and 93:
Page 94 and 95:
Page 96 and 97:
Page 98 and 99:
Page 100 and 101:
Page 102 and 103:
Page 104 and 105:
Page 107 and 108:
6. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN SOUTH A
Page 109 and 110:
Status of Coral Reefs in South Asia
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127:
Page 130 and 131:
Page 132 and 133:
Page 134 and 135:
Page 136 and 137:
Page 138 and 139:
Page 140 and 141:
Page 143 and 144:
8. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS OF EAST AN
Page 145 and 146:
Status of Coral Reefs of East and N
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
9. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS OF AUSTRAL
Page 155 and 156:
Status of Coral Reefs of Australasi
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161 and 162:
Page 163 and 164:
Page 165 and 166:
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
Page 171 and 172:
10. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE SO
Page 173 and 174:
Status of Coral Reefs in the Southw
Page 175 and 176:
Page 177 and 178:
Page 179 and 180:
Page 181 and 182:
Page 183 and 184:
Page 185 and 186:
Page 187 and 188:
Page 189 and 190:
Page 191 and 192:
Page 193 and 194:
11. STATUS OF SOUTHEAST AND CENTRAL
Page 195 and 196:
Status of Southeast and Central Pac
Page 197 and 198:
Page 199 and 200:
Page 201 and 202:
Page 203 and 204:
Page 205 and 206:
Page 207 and 208:
Page 209 and 210:
Page 211 and 212:
12. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS OF AMERIC
Page 213 and 214:
Status of Coral Reefs of American S
Page 215 and 216: Status of Coral Reefs of American S
Page 229: Status of Coral Reefs of American S
Page 232 and 233: Status of Coral Reefs of the World:
Page 273 and 274: 15. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE NO
Page 275 and 276: Status of Coral Reefs in the Northe
Page 297: Status of Coral Reefs in the Northe
Page 316 and 317:
Page 318 and 319:
Page 320 and 321:
Page 322 and 323:
Page 324 and 325:
Page 327 and 328:
17. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE EA
Page 329 and 330:
Status of Coral Reefs in the Easter
Page 331 and 332:
Page 333 and 334:
Page 335 and 336:
Page 337 and 338:
Page 339 and 340:
Page 341 and 342:
Page 343 and 344:
18. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN SOUTHE
Page 345 and 346:
Status of Coral Reefs in Southern T
Page 347 and 348:
Page 349 and 350:
Page 351 and 352:
Page 353 and 354:
Page 355 and 356:
Page 357 and 358:
Page 359 and 360:
Page 361 and 362:
19. SPONSORING ORGANISATIONS, CORAL
Page 363 and 364:
Sponsoring Organisations, Coral Ree
Page 365 and 366:
Page 367 and 368:
Page 369:
Page 372 and 373:
Page 375:
LIST OF ACRONYMS AGRRA AIMS ASEAN B
show all

Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2000

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?