11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

18-25
Status Of Coral Reefs in South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka And Chagos (Biot))
Jerker TAMELANDER 1 , Arjan RAJASURIYA* 2 , JK PATTERSON EDWARD 3 ,
Sarang KULKARNI 4 , Rohan ARTHUR 5 , Alasdair HARRIS 6 , Terney PRADEEP
KUMARA 7 , Vineeta HOON 8 , Zahirul ISLAM 9 , Hussein ZAHIR 10 , M.F.M. FAIROZ 7 , K.
VENKATARAMAN 11
1 Global Marine Programme, IUCN - The World Conservation Union, Dar es salaam,
Tanzania, 2 NARA, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 3 SDMRI, Tuticorin, India, 4 Oceaeco, Mumbai,
India, 5 NCF, Mysore, India, 6 Blueventures, London, United Kingdom, 7 University of
Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka, 8 CARESS, Chennai, India, 9 Marinelife Alliance, Dhaka,
Bangladesh, 10 MRC, Male, Maldives, 11 NBA, Chennai, India
Coral reef recovery in South Asia over ten years since the 1998 coral bleaching and
mortality event has been highly variable. Some severely bleached reefs such as in the
Chagos archipelago and at locations in the western atoll chain of the Maldives have
returned to pre-bleaching coral cover and are making gradual progress towards prebleaching
population structure. However, although coral cover is increasing at most sites
in the Lakshadweep islands, recovery is limited on several atolls. Localized and seasonal
bleaching has been observed annually in the region since 1998, but bleaching related
mortality has been very low. For example, reefs on the Indian side of the Gulf of Mannar
exhibited annual bleaching around May but usually with full recovery within weeksmonths.
The impact of the Indian Ocean tsunami 2004 was comparatively low, with the
exception of areas affected by tectonic activity in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and
recovery predictions are mostly good. However, direct anthropogenic stress hampers
recovery and is the main driver behind reef degradation in many areas. Surveys show reef
status and recovery is better in areas where human interference and anthropogenic stress
is low. Direct anthropogenic stress and poor management of coral reef areas, including
many MPAs, is further expected to reduce the ability of many areas to adapt to climate
change, a synergistic effect that threatens to drastically change reefs in some parts of the
region over the coming years to decades. Natural resource dependence and a shortage of
livelihood options leaves many communities highly vulnerable. Efforts underway seek to
address this through improved reef monitoring that increasingly incorporates social and
economic aspects, strengthening the research agenda and supporting uptake into
management and policy through development of tools and communication and capacity
building initiatives.
18-26
Patterns Of Coral Community Recovery in The Maldives Following Mass Bleaching
in 1998
Hussein ZAHIR* 1
1 Ministry of Fisheries Agriculture and Marine Resources, Marine Research Centre, Male,
Maldives
The recovery in one of the world’s largest oceanic atoll reef systems following a
catastrophic coral bleaching is reported. Increased sea surface temperature during the
1998 El Niño Southern Oscillation event caused extensive coral bleaching and
widespread coral mortality throughout the Indian Ocean including the reefs of the
Maldives. Live coral cover was reduced from pre-bleaching estimates of 40-60% to less
than 3% in shallow waters assessed soon after the bleaching. Virtually no living
Acropora species were recorded at the study sites during these assessments in late 1998.
Changes during the last 7 years at 15 selected reef sites throughout the Maldives from
almost 7° N to almost 1° S are presented and discussed. Trends in coral cover both
between sites within atolls and between atolls are presented, as is the generic diversity of
the live coral community and its development since the bleaching. Patterns of coral
settlement on tiles and recruitment to natural substrates were assessed at 6 sites in the
central atolls to see whether recruitment rates were related to recovery. Same site
comparisons using settlement plates to study potential availability of coral larvae and in
situ monitoring of coral recruits to assess those surviving to a few mm in diameter
provided useful information on the availability of coral larvae for recruitment and
replenishment of denuded coral reefs. The recovery was very variable from site to site;
coral taxa that were most susceptible to bleaching (acroporids and pocillorids) have
shown the largest increase in cover since 1998; while the more resilient groups that
survived the bleaching (e.g. agariciids and poritids) show a relative decrease in cover.
The patterns and rates of coral recovery on these reefs suggest that recruitment was not a
limiting factor for reef recovery in the Maldives.
Oral Mini-Symposium 18: Reef Status and Trends
18-27
Status Of Coral Reefs in Southeast Asia – 2008
Karenne TUN 1 , Loke Ming CHOU 1 , Thamasak YEEMIN* 2 , Nguyen VAN LONG 3 , Dr
SUHARSONO 4 , Cleto NANOLA JR 5 , David W LANE 6 , Affendi YANG AMRI 7
1 Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, 2 Faculty of
Science, Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand, 3 Institute of Oceanography, Nha
Trang, Vietnam, 4 COREMAP, Jakarta, Indonesia, 5 College of Science, University of
Philippines, Marine Science Institute, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines, 6 Universiti Brunei
Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam, 7 Marine Biology Unit, University of
Malaya, Institute of Biological Sciences, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The coral reefs of Southeast Asia have not seen major change in the past four years; many reefs
continue to remain under threat, mainly from anthropogenic impacts, although encouraging
signs of improvement are emerging in many areas resulting from better monitoring and
management initiatives. The 2004 Asian Tsunami did not cause widespread damage to the coral
reefs of Southeast Asia, with only localized impacts reported in Indonesia, Thailand and
Malaysia. Long-term monitoring programmes are still ongoing in many countries, while
expanding in Peninsular Malaysia with the formal establishment of Reef Check Malaysia.
However, the status of coral reef monitoring in Cambodia and Myanmar remain largely
unknown.
18-28
Status of Coral Reefs in Post-Tsunami Period in Andaman & Nicobar Islands (India)
Alok SAXENA* 1
1 Department of Environment & Forests, Government of India, Port Blair, India
Andaman & Nicobar Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal off the eastern coast of India, are one
of the four major sites of coral reefs. Coral reefs found in these islands are mostly fringing
types. The survey carried out by the UNDP team along with experts from India in 2001
recorded 197 species only in Andaman group of Islands as against 179 species reported earlier
by Pillai (1983) for the entire Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The survey was based on satellite
data interpretation and field survey of 13 sites. It also projected that the actual number of coral
species may be as high as 400. The survey done by Kulkarni and Saxena (2002) for 21 coral
reef sites identified under coral reef monitoring action plan showed not only the distribution of
corals, but also the status of health and mortality. Tsunami that struck these islands on 26 th
December 2004 led to vast destruction of coral reefs mainly due to geo-morphological changes
resulting in uplifting and exposure of reefs in the northern islands and submergence in the
southern islands A rapid assessment done by the Reef Watch, an NGO in 2005 showed that
there was overall 20% mortality in Andaman group of Islands while in Nicobar group of
Islands, up to 80% mortality was observed. The report however indicated recovery processes in
some coral reef sites particularly those in shallow reefs. The present study is based on the
survey being carried out at different coral reef sites to monitor recovery processes. The initial
results show not only recovery but also changes in the distribution pattern of corals at the
selected sites.
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