11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

23.925
Scientific Monitoring And Customary Management Of Ungakum Managed Marine
Area: Methods, Lessons Learned And Challenges
Maunoa KARO* 1 , Tau MOROVE 1 , Ryan WALKER 1 , Helen PERKS 1 , Fraser
HARTLEY 1
1 PNG Marine Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Kavieng, Papua New Guinea
Abstract: Customary marine resource management is historically strong among coastal
communities within the Pacific. Papua New Guinean social tradition allows coastal
communities to practice local ownership and management of coral reefs with customary
management laws recognized under national law. Here, we summarize approaches
undertaken by Ungakum village; a small island fishing community in north western New
Ireland, Papua New Guinea (PNG). The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) PNG
Marine Program is working in collaboration with the community to establish and
maintain customary management of their coral reef. Management efforts undertaken
within the community in the last two years include establishing a no-take zone (“tambu”
area), conducting detailed annual ecosystem monitoring at the managed area and nearby
control, and the establishment and training of a community Locally Marine Managed
Area (LMMA) monitoring team. Environmental education and coral reef awareness
activities in schools and the community are undertaken every six months and several
villagers have been included in regional and national resource management workshops.
Results from 2006 - 2007 show no significant change in fish biomass (244.8 kg/ha±
110.0 [all variance one standard deviation] to 241.3 kg/ha ±119.7), whilst the control area
showed a significant decline (350.5 kg/ha ± 202.0 to 222.9 kg/ha ± 104.6). Hard coral
cover showed a significant decline in the managed area (32.75 %, ± 11.76 to 25.83 % ±
8.00). Lack of awareness of the no-take zone by adjacent villages, poaching and storm
damage in early 2007 are possible contributing factors to these declines. With the help of
a national legal NGO, the Centre for Environmental Law and Community Ownership
Rights (CELCOR), the community is developing a management plan and laws
recognized by local government to protect their customary managed marine area.
23.926
Incorporating Human Usage Into Conservation Planning And Management Of
Coral Reefs: New Spatial And Temporal Mapping Of Use At Ningaloo Reef, North-
Western Australia
Lynnath BECKLEY* 1 , Claire SMALLWOOD 1 , Amanda LOMBARD 2 , Susan
MOORE 1 , Halina KOBRYN 1 , Jody NIEMAN 1
1 Environmental Science, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia, 2 Conservation Systems,
Sedgefield, South Africa
The data requirements for systematic conservation planning include appropriate spatial
and temporal information about biodiversity and human use of resources. Limited work
has been conducted on coral reefs in Australia (and elsewhere) to collect and combine
spatially explicit and temporally grounded human usage data with biodiversity
information to progress conservation planning. Ningaloo, a remote, fringing reef off
north-western Australia is well known for its rich biodiversity and a Marine Park has
been established in the region. However, Ningaloo has a long history of Aboriginal use
of coastal resources, commercial exploitation of turtles, whales and fishes and, more
recently, a proliferation of tourist and recreational usage. A project is underway to map
the spatial and temporal distribution of recreational activities within the Ningaloo reef
lagoon system and relate this to factors such as biodiversity, physical conditions, marine
park zoning, access roads and accommodation nodes. Throughout 2007, aerial and
shore-based surveys were undertaken along the 300 km length of the reef, and all
recreational and boating activity in the lagoon was recorded in a geo-referenced format.
Results indicate specific usage nodes and marked seasonality in use of the reef (Easter
and July school holidays and the winter months). Relaxing on the beaches was the most
frequently recorded activity and snorkelling, swimming, walking and fishing were also
popular. During peak periods, hourly data on boat launching at Coral Bay and beach
usage at favoured sites such as Turquoise Bay revealed distinct temporal patterns. The
project has provided a robust data set that can be incorporated into systematic
conservation planning and guide future management of the reef. Additionally, this project
contributes directly to an integrated ecosystem and socio-economic model being
developed for the Ningaloo region.
Poster Mini-Symposium 23: Reef Management
23.927
Temporal Variation Of Fish Assemblages in Tung Ping Chau Marine Park, Hong Kong
Sar, China
Yin Ha LAM* 1 , Put ANG 1
1 Marine Science Laboraty, Department of Biology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong,
Shatin, Hong Kong
This study reports results from a monitoring program (1998 – 2006) investigating the protection
effects on reef fish assemblages in Tung Ping Chau Marine Park (TPCMP), Hong Kong, by
temporal comparison of fish assemblages before and after the marine park designation in 2001.
Underwater visual census was employed from 1998-1999, and 2002-2006 in two core areas, A
Ye Wan (AYW) and A Ma Wan (AMW), where fishing activities are prohibited after 2001.
An increase in fish density was recorded in 2002-2004 (3.6 individuals/m 2 in AMW; 1.9
individuals/m 2 in AYW). This dropped to pre-protection level (2.6 individuals/m 2 in AMW;
1.05 individuals/m 2 in AYW) in 2005 and 2006. Fish diversity also increased in both areas in
2002-2004 but decreased from 2004 to 2006 in AMW. An abrupt decrease in fish diversity in
AYW in 2006 was due to a serious physical disturbance to the site. Fish biomass data were also
collected since 2003. However, no significant temporal difference in fish biomass (20.5g/m 2 -
2.8g/m 2 ) was found throughout 2003 to 2006 in AMW, while fish biomass decreased from 2003
(64.3g/m 2 ) to 2006 (1.72g/m 2 ) in AYW. SIMPER analysis (Primer 6) revealed the contribution
of fishery target species, including Mugil cephalus cephalus, Siganus canaliculatus and
Monacanthus chinensis to the differentiation of fish assemblage structure in the years after
marine park designation. The contribution of these same species, however, decreased in 2005
and 2006 in both areas. The drop in overall fish density and in the abundance of fishery target
species may be due to an increase in poaching activities observed inside the marine park in
recent years. This apparently wiped out all the initial gains in fish density and diversity in the
early years immediately after the marine park designation.
23.928
Managing Dive Tourism in Sipadan, Sabah, Malaysia
Ridzwan ABDUL RAHMAN* 1 , Zarinah WAHEED 1 , Paul BASINTAL 2 , Jamili NAIS 2
1 Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia,
2 Sabah Parks, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Sipadan Island, Sabah, Malaysia is an internationally renowned SCUBA diving destination.
Divers began exploring Sipadan as early as in 1984. It became more famous after Jacque
Cousteau released a documentary film on his 1987 expedition about the uniqueness of its coral
reefs. Dive operators capitalized on Cousteau’s “rediscovery” to further promote Sipadan at
local and international levels. This paper describes the development and changes that took place
in Sipadan over the last two decades and the present efforts to manage the thriving SCUBA
diving industry there. It discusses the rational and basis of instructing resort operators to
relocate or move out of Sipadan, setting the limit/quota of divers to Sipadan and introducing
and spreading divers to new dive sites near Sipadan. It also describes the scientific monitoring
program introduced based on the concept of Limit of Acceptable Change to assist in the
management of the coral reefs of Sipadan and to sustain the dive industry.
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