11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

21-27
The Political Aspects Of Resilience
Michael FABINYI* 1
1 Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Program, Australian National University,
Canberra, Australia
This study aims to investigate the political aspects of resilience in social-ecological
systems. Based on long-term anthropological fieldwork in the Calamianes Islands,
Philippines, the study focuses on the diverse and contested human interests that make up
social-ecological systems. In the Calamianes, what promotes social resilience for one
group of people may impact negatively for another group of people, or the ecosystem in
which they live. Fishers, for example, have struggled greatly to preserve their patterns of
marine resource use, and to oppose any form of regulation. In 2006, regulations to reform
the live reef fish trade in the Calamianes were overturned, and the effectiveness of a
series of marine protected areas (MPAs) was severely constrained by the actions of
fishers in promoting their interests. These interests were based on a strong desire among
fishers to maintain their livelihood and economic security, and to avoid shouldering the
burdens of conservation that they believed were being unfairly placed on them.
Following Armitage and Johnson (2006), this study has found that deciding “for what and
for whom are we trying to promote resilience?” becomes a critical question. Answering
such a question will require decisions that will favour certain elements or resource users
within any social-ecological system, and disadvantage others. The study concludes
therefore that such political aspects of resilience thinking require greater attention, and
that governance systems that are inclusive, interactive and adaptive (Bavinck et al. 2005)
are necessary, if the resilience concept is to be more widely accepted in policy and
management arenas.
21-28
Should We Protect The Strong Or Weak? An Analysis Of Risk And Resilience in
Marine Protected Areas
Eddie GAME* 1 , Hugh POSSINGHAM 1
1 The Ecology Centre, University of Queensland, St.Lucia, Australia
The occurrence of catastrophic disturbances such as cyclones or mass coral bleaching
poses a major threat to coral reefs worldwide. Marine reserves have often been touted as
way of ensuring recovery from disturbance at a faster rate than unprotected habitats; but
should we protect those reefs at greatest risk of unfavourable disturbance we can not
control, or instead invest our resources in consolidating the health of those reefs at least
risk of such disturbance? We formally define this problem and explore the conditions
under which each of these strategies is optimal. If our conservation objective is to
maximize the chance at least one reef is in a healthy state then the best strategy is always
to protect the reefs at lower risk of catastrophic disturbance. On the other hand, if we
wish to maximise the expected number of healthy reefs in our system, then the optimal
strategy is more complex; if protected reefs are likely to spend a significant amount of
time in a degraded state, either through high disturbance or slow recovery rates, then it is
best to protect low risk sites. Alternatively, if our reefs are generally in a healthy state due
to fast recovery and low disturbance then we should, counter intuitively, protect the sites
at higher risk of uncontrollable disturbance. We illustrate these strategies with an
example of cyclone disturbance to coral reefs on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The
optimal conservation strategy with regard to the risk of uncontrollable disturbances can
differ dramatically depending on your objective and the level of success expected within
reserves. A proper treatment or risk is fundamental to all conservation actions and can
indicate surprising routes to conservation success.
Oral Mini-Symposium 21: Social-ecological Systems
21-29
The Implications Of Linked Social-Ecological Systems For American Samoa’s Coral Reef
Fisheries
Arielle LEVINE* 1 , Stewart ALLEN 1
1 Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI
Even without the presence of a network of no-take marine protected areas (no-take MPAs),
current levels of fishing pressure on near-shore coral reefs in American Samoa are low for
small, Pacific island territories (Zeller et. al. 2006). This trend has occurred in spite of
increasing population levels and improvements in fishing technology. Recent studies
comparing current fish catches with archeological records illustrate that catch composition on
one American Samoan island is essentially identical to pre-European contact levels (Craig et. al.
2007), indicating surprising stability over time. The reasons for relatively low fishing pressure
on American Samoan reefs are complex, but relate largely to improved access to cash and a
preference for store bought food, as well as the availability of cheap pelagic fish sold as bycatch
or at a discount from the islands’ large cannery facility. This has reduced local demand
and markets for near-shore fish species; fishing today is predominantly small-scale for
recreational and cultural purposes. This unusual combination of social and ecological factors in
American Samoa provides a positive example of how certain social factors can result in a
reduction in near-shore fishing pressure. However other socially-derived factors, including
coastal development, erosion, pollution run-off, and global warming, remain highly relevant to
the future and health and resiliency of American Samoa’s near-shore coral reefs. These factors
prove more difficult to address and require management measures beyond the establishment of
no-take MPAs, looking at social and ecological issues on an extended watershed scale.
21-30
Socio-economic and Ecological Monitoring of Coral Reefs at Kood Island, the Gulf of
Thailand
Makamas SUTTHACHEEP* 1 , Sittiporn PENGSAKUN 1 , Wichin SUEBPALA 1 , Dusanee
CHOEITONG 1 , Thamasak YEEMIN 1
1 Department of Biology, Faculty Of Science, Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand
Fishing remains the most important economic activity associated with coral reefs and provides
the main source of protein by local communities. Recently, there has been an expansion in reef
based tourism in Thailand. Monitoring of coral communities in terms of ecological changes and
coral reef utilization for fisheries and tourism at Kood Island and its vicinity was carried out to
assess the socio-economic potential of coral reefs. There was a large area of coral reefs and
pinnacles around Kood Island. Several of them have not be surveyed and scientifically reported.
Approximately 30 households of Kood Island have small fishing boats. Major fishing gears
were crab gill nets and traps for crabs and squids. All fishing products were sold and consumed
on the island. However, there were a large number of trawling boats, pushing net boats and light
fishing boats for squids from outsiders. Illegal fishing was frequently observed because of weak
law enforcement in the area. Currently, tourism development is growing rapidly, especially for
building large resorts. Most tourists went to diving at Mu Koh Rang, a nearby island group.
Coral reefs of Kood Island largely suffered from the severe coral reef bleaching in 1998 but
there was a natural recovery trend. Several coral reef areas have high potential for diving spots,
such as Rad Island, Ao Toom and Hin Kong Loi Nam. The local communities has gradually
realized the importance of coral reef and seagrass ecosystems for their livelihood through
training courses, seminars and public awareness materials for coastal resources conservation.
Integration of scientific researches and socio-economic studies is necessary for coral reef
management in the Gulf of Thailand.
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