11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

23-53
Developing A Model For Ecosystem Based Management in The Tropical South
Pacific -Initial Results From A Case Study in Fiji
Kathy WALLS 1 , Aaron JENKINS 2 , Kesaia TABUNAKAWAI 3 , Daniel EGLI* 3
1 Wildlife Conservation Society - South Pacific Program, Suva, Fiji, 2 Wetlands
International - Oceania, suva, Fiji, 3 Worldwide Fund for Nature - Fiji Country Program,
Suva, Fiji
The Vatu-i-Ra Reefs and Great Sea Reef of Fiji are globally recognized for their
outstanding biodiversity. In 2005, three NGOs collaborated to investigate ecosystem
based management approaches in this area.
The scope of the project is at the seascape scale with the inclusion of the adjacent
watersheds. The project focus is on two traditional fisheries management areas and their
adjacent watersheds on the island of Vanua Levu. Fish caught in the management areas
are important for both sustenance and income for the local communities, but some landuse
practices at the sites, such as logging, widespread land clearance and sugar-cane
farming, may adversely affect the marine ecosystem through sedimentation and nutrient
enrichment from runoff.
Thus far, project initiatives at both sites include: establishment of marine protected areas
(MPAs) through close collaboration and consultation with the local communities; active
resource management committees; draft management plans and enforcement training.
Marine biophysical and socio-economic surveys have provided important baseline
information on the marine habitats and the local communities of the sites. A biological
monitoring program has been initiated to investigate effectiveness of the MPAs.
Watershed conservation has begun through development of a management plan for a
forest reserve at one site, resulting in increased awareness for watershed conservation.
New information on the watersheds of both sites has been obtained through development
of a preliminary runoff model that demonstrates the potential impacts of sediment and
nutrient runoff on the marine habitats of both sites.
The work undertaken to date has highlighted the vital roles of both local communities and
science-based approaches to ecosystem assessments in managing coral reef ecosystems.
23-54
Genetic structure of Heliofungia actiniformis (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) populations
in the Indo-Malay Archipelago: implications for live coral trade management efforts
Leyla KNITTWEIS* 1 , Wiebke KRÄMER 2 , Janne TIMM 2 , Marc KOCHZIUS 2
1 Centre for Tropical Marine Ecology, Bremen, Germany, 2 Biotechnology and Molecular
Genetics, Bremen University, Bremen, Germany
The fungiid Heliofungia actiniformis is one of the most popular scleractinian coral
species in the growing live aquarium trade, with the majority of specimens originating in
Indonesia. Details on population connectivity may potentially provide important
information with regards to fishery management efforts. Phylogeographic structure was
examined, using ribosomal ITS1, 5.8S and partial ITS2 sequences on a small scale among
populations in the Spermonde Archipelago, South Sulawesi (up to 65 km distance), and
on a large scale throughout the Indo-Malay Archipelago (up to 2,900 km distance).
Significant genetic structuring was found at both scales. Within the Spermonde
Archipelago isolation by distance as well as local oceanographic features shaped patterns
of genetic connectivity. On the large scale, the data revealed genetically distinct
populations in Tomini Bay, New Guinea and the Thousand Islands near Jakarta, and a
lack of genetic differentiation among populations lying close to or directly in the path of
the Indonesian throughflow: from the central Visayas to the Flores Sea. Whilst the
influence of both historical and present day processes on genetic structuring of H.
actiniformis populations was revealed, large scale results further emphasised the
importance of current dynamics on larval dispersal patterns in this species. Potential for
larval input from surrounding populations, and the increased vulnerability of upstream as
well as isolated populations should be taken into consideration when setting future
harvest quotas.
Oral Mini-Symposium 23: Reef Management
23-55
Conservation Of Elkhorn (Acropora Palmata) And Staghorn (A. Cervicornis) Corals
Through Two Proposed Rules Under The Endangered Species Act
Jennifer MOORE* 1 , Sarah HEBERLING 1
1 Protected Resources Division, NOAA Fisheries Service, St. Petersburg, FL
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing of elkhorn and staghorn corals in 2006 has
necessitated the development of two rules to provide for their conservation. The NOAA
Fisheries Service is responsible for the development and implementation of these rules. A
proposed rule under ESA section 4(d), called a (4(d) rule, extends ESA prohibitions to the
threatened corals. The 4(d) rule also provides exceptions to those prohibitions for specific
activities that provide for the conservation of the species. A proposed critical habitat rule
designates specific geographic areas within U.S. jurisdiction on which are found physical and
biological features essential to the species’ conservation and which require special management.
The specifics of the two rules, their conservation goals, and effects on public will be discussed.
23-56
De Facto Marine Protected Areas: Coral Reef Conservation Inside The Danger Zone
Charles WAHLE* 1 , Rikki DUNSMORE 2 , Lisa WOONINCK 2,3 , Mimi D'IORIO 1 , Lauren
WENZEL 4 , Claudia MAKEYEV 2
1 Natl. MPA Center, NOAA, Monterey, CA, 2 Natl. MPA Center, NOAA, Santa Cruz, CA,
3 Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries, Santa Cruz, 4 Natl. MPA Center, NOAA,
Silver Spring, MD
Effective ocean management requires a broad understanding of spatial patterns of human use.
To this end, and with support from NOAA’s Coral Program, the Marine Protected Areas Center
has inventoried the De Facto MPAs (DF-MPAs) in U.S. waters: areas of the ocean where access
and/or use are restricted for reasons other than conservation. Many DF-MPAs are located in
coral reef ecosystems, potentially providing valuable but previously undocumented
conservation benefits to these often remote areas. Presently, more than 1,000 DF-MPAs occur
in U.S. waters, covering 3 percent of the nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In the
Pacific Islands, a small area (< 0.01 %) is contained in 59 DF-MPAs. A large portion (95 %)
prohibit access, at least part of the time. However, for 2/3 of this area, access is restricted only
temporarily, with most of this area contained within one site during intermittent target practice.
In contrast, approximately 500 km2 of marine waters are off limits year round in Pacific Islands
DF-MPAs, contained primarily within three sites with coral reef habitats: Barking Sands, Kaula
Rock and Kahoolawe Island. Coral reef resources within these areas are afforded year-round
protection from extractive activities (e.g. fishing), yielding demonstrable increases in abundance
and density of commercially-important reef fishes and invertebrates. A small portion of the
Caribbean waters (