11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

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Assessing Global Coral Reef Management Using Interdisciplinary Measures Of
Conservation Success.
Venetia HARGREAVES-ALLEN* 1 , EJ MILNER-GULLAND 1 , Jamie OLIVER 2 ,
Trond BJORNDAL 3
1 Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, 2 WorldFish Centre, Penang,
Malaysia, 3 Portsmouth University, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Donors increasingly need information to help them chose how to optimise investment for
conservation and management in marine protected areas (MPAs). In this study I use a
questionnaire to managers and researchers of coral reef marine protected areas to assess
the factors influencing perceived conservation success. A range of indicators of
conservation success have been used in the literature, including management inputs,
evidence of conservation outputs and threat reduction. In my study I compare the results
of using each of these measures, which encompass ecological, economic and social
components of success. I place emphasis on the counterfactual through the use of
geographical ‘inside versus outside’ measures and temporal ‘before versus after’
measures. I will present the results of the survey, which encompasses 80 MPAs from all
over the world, from those less than 1km2 to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in
Australia. A focus of the survey is to explore the issue of equity in terms of the
distribution of management and opportunity costs and use and non-use benefits. An
analysis of the financial and management strategies that are linked to more successful
MPAs enables me to identify recommendations for management. Global trends in
regulations, funding strategies, budgets and management actions and their impact on
conservation targets will also be discussed, along with an assessment of the challenges
and limitations of this research.
23-46
Linking Monitoring and Management- Lessons Learned at the Sapodilla Cayes
Marine Reserve, Belize
jocelyn FINCH* 1 , Christina GARCIA 1 , Jason GUY 2 , Godwin HUMES 2
1 Toledo Association for Sustainable Tourism and Empowerment, Punta Gorda, Belize,
2 Belize Fisheries Department, Punta Gorda, Belize
Located at the southern terminus of the Belize Barrier Reef, the Sapodilla Cayes Marine
Reserve (SCMR) was declared a marine reserve in 1996 and is a part of the Belize
Barrier Reef World Heritage site. The SCMR protects important reef ecosystems, is
home to essential fishing grounds, and is visited by tourists from Belize, Guatemala and
Honduras. With these diverse uses and values in mind, the Fisheries Department began
on-site management at the SCMR in 2001. Today the SCMR is co-managed by the
Belize Fisheries Department and the Toledo Association for Sustainable Tourism and
Empowerment (TASTE). In 2006 TASTE, in collaboration with the Fisheries
Department, developed a basic monitoring plan for the SCMR. In 2007 the partners
began implementation of this monitoring plan. The goal of the monitoring plan was to
ensure consistent biological monitoring and to better link the emerging data and its
analysis to management decision making. Now after a full year of monitoring with
careful evaluation of the monitoring techniques and the data collected; the co-managers
have gained useful insight into the strengths and weakness of this monitoring strategy. In
order to guarantee that quality biological data is being applied to adaptive management a
number of key gaps in monitoring and analysis must be addressed including: insufficient
funding of the monitoring plan, need for trained personnel, in-depth statistical analysis
training and the ability to translate scientific evidence into management action. TASTE
and the Fisheries Department need to work together to develop capacity in these key
areas and maintain a consistent monitoring of these important biological resources.
Through continued cooperation, improved implementation of the monitoring plan and
better use newly collected data, it will be easier to balance the diverse management goals
of the SCMR and ensure effective adaptive management.
Oral Mini-Symposium 23: Reef Management
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The Science Behind Adaptive, Ecosystem Based Management in The Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park
David WACHENFELD* 1
1 Science, Technology & Information Group, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority,
Townsville, Australia
The Great Barrier Reef is a vast, complex mosaic of different habitats including coral reefs,
sponge and soft coral gardens, algal meadows, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, islands,
pelagic and deep sea environments, which are all ecologically inter-connected. The Reef is a
significant source of economic, social, cultural and spiritual values for all Australians, and is a
global environmental icon. The major threats to the Great Barrier Reef are climate change,
degraded water quality and fishing. These threats do not operate in isolation of one another, but
rather in synergy. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority takes a holistic view,
protecting the entire ecosystem, its diversity of habitats, their inter-connectivity and their
associated human values from the range of threats. The Authority has specific programmes
targeted at protecting biodiversity, delivering sustainable industries (particularly tourism and
fishing), improving water quality and responding to climate change. With the threat from
climate change rapidly increasing, there is greatly increased urgency for local management to
address other threats, and focus on measures to maximise the resilience of the ecosystem. The
Authority partners closely with scientists to deliver sound information to form the basis of Reef
management. In particular, we have developed significant monitoring programmes for our
major management initiatives, so that we can track their effectiveness and continue to
adaptively manage the Marine Park into the future.
23-48
Spatial Footprint And Temporal Variability Of Recreational Usage At A Remote Fringing
Reef in North-Western Australia
Claire SMALLWOOD* 1 , Lynnath BECKLEY 1 , Sue MOORE 1
1 Environmental Science, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
Worldwide, studies investigating recreational usage of coral reefs have not previously been a
priority for research. However, increased visitation and documented impacts from these
activities have highlighted the importance of collecting relevant usage data at a scale
appropriate for management. Ningaloo Reef is a remote fringing reef which extends 300 km
along the coast of north-western Australia and supports several diverse ecosystems. Although
located in an isolated arid region with a permanent population of only 10 000 people, this is
supplemented each year by ~ 200 000 visitors. The fringing nature of the reef, which encloses a
sheltered lagoon area with an average width of 2.5 km, results in a high level of accessibility for
visitors participating in marine recreational activities. Planning for the future sustainable
development of the Ningaloo coast is ongoing and a project to map the spatial footprint of
marine resource usage in the lagoon is underway. Part of this study included ~1 100 face-toface
questionnaire interviews with recreational participants collected throughout 2007 along the
length of the reef system. Snorkelling, fishing, diving, kayaking, surfing as well as charter tours
for coral viewing and manta rays were some of the popular activities recorded. As well as
seasonal variation in recreational usage, demographics, visitation patterns and origin of visitors,
there was also spatial variation in these patterns along the coastline. Although studies of
recreational activity have been undertaken previously in the region, this is the first study that
clearly displays the spatial relationship between these activities, access points and various
accommodation types. The study has also allowed popular usage nodes, which could be
vulnerable to impacts from recreational activities, to be identified. The fine-scale resolution and
geo-referenced nature of this dataset makes it particularly pertinent to site-specific planning and
management of Ningaloo Reef and the adjacent coastline.
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