11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

23.996
Conservation Action Planning in Micronesia: Learning from the past to manage for
the future.
Trina LEBERER* 1
1 Micronesia Program, The Nature Conservancy, Hagatna, Guam
Over the past two decades, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has developed and applied
the Conservation Action Planning (CAP) process to identify conservation targets, assess
threats, and formulate management strategies at priority sites. TNC’s Micronesia
Program continues to adapt the delivery of CAP, attempting to balance the costs of
supporting the work of partners in remote, vastly separated islands, and the benefit of
facilitating peer-learning in cultural settings with rich oral traditions. TNC is piloting a
rapid CAP process from November 2007 – May 2008, with the goal of utilizing
traditional approaches to learning and management in the region, while providing a
strong prioritization tool for local practitioners and communities to assist them in making
decisions for managing their coral reef resources. Experienced coaches are meeting with
stakeholder groups from Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia; Majuro, Marshall
Islands; Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands; and Guam at each of their sites to develop
draft CAPs and initiate the process of developing management plans. Representatives
from the 4 sites will then be brought together for a group workshop in Chuuk in early
2008 to share their work and learn from the experiences of their peers. Coaches will then
return to island sites to work with the broader stakeholder groups to fine-tune CAPs and
complete draft management plans. A set of new Micronesian CAP coaches are also
“shadowing” the experienced coaches during the site visits and workshop, helping to
build local self-sufficiency in strategic conservation action planning. The process is
expected to result in draft management plans, including prioritized lists of high-leverage,
cost-effective strategies for addressing the greatest threats to coral reef ecosystems, at 4
priority conservation sites in Micronesia.
23.997
ReefBase: Information Systems Focused on Coral Reef Resources & Management
Moi Khim TAN* 1 , Tupper MARK 1 , Tewfik ALEXANDER 1
1 Natural Resources Management, The WorldFish Center, Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia
ReefBase is an online information system providing quality data and GIS maps on the
location, status, threats, monitoring and management of coral reef resources in over 130
countries. ReefBase serves as the central repository for the Global Coral Reef Monitoring
Network (GCRMN) and ICRAN, and continues to provide valuable information services
to managers, policy-makers, researchers, educators and students around the world.
ReefBase strives to improve sharing and use of information and knowledge through new
projects and focused partnerships in ongoing support of research and management of
coral reef resources. ReefBase allows unprecedented access to a wide range of coral reef
related datasets from multiple sources on interactive maps. These datasets include the
coral bleaching, Marine Protected Areas, Millennium Mapping data and many more.
The ReefBase Pacific Project is the first regionally focused project within ReefBase.
ReefBase aims to improve quality and accessibility of data and information for reef
fisheries and coral reef research, management, conservation, and education in the Pacific
region. This project will generate worldwide web and DVD formats to maximize
distribution and accessibility.
Finally, ReefBase has further expanded its utility to develop the GEF-funded
knowledgebase for lessons learned and best practices in the management of coral reefs.
This knowledgebase will enhance the development, implementation and outcomes of
future coral reef conservation and management projects based on the distillation of the
best practices available and lessons learned from previous and ongoing projects.
Poster Mini-Symposium 23: Reef Management
23.998
How To Measure Success in Coral Reef Management From The Caribbean Sea And The
Eastern Pacific
Nohora GALVIS* 1 , Nohora GALVIS 1
1 Coral reefs, Corporacion Propuesta Ambiental, Bogota, Colombia
An original mathematical index was designed and applied to compare two different regions
such the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific. The applicability of the index to build a
Collaborative Decision Support Systems (CDSS) for adaptable management was tested by
measuring perceived and objective management effectiveness in Corales del Rosario, Colombia
and in Las Perlas Archipelago, Panama.
The methodology is based on a rational multicriteria model run in EXCEL spreadsheets where a
combination of weights (perspectives), standardized indicators are summarized in overall
assessments to support decisions about the current state of management contrasted with the
perceived scenario of the ideal improved management scheme. The CDDS has been proved to
be effective to be implemented by gathering data on ecological, social and economic indicators
that eventually can be monitored for the selection of management zones increasing compliance
and effectiveness by allowing calculus of trade-offs and spatial scenarios as foundation for
enhancing public awareness by providing environmental education based on scientific
information.
Contrasting results from the National Park Corales del Rosario, Colombia and from Las Perlas
were found. In the first case study, the overall perceived management effectiveness remains low
but it has been improved in the last six years.
23.999
Comparative Analysis Of Coral Communities Found in Spur And Groove Reefs in Little
Cayman From 2005 To 2007
Kim BALLARD 1 , Sara KREISEL* 1 , Christine GILMAN 1 , Carey BATHA 1 , Diana
SCIAMBI 1 , Roy DUCOTE 1 , Vania COELHO 1,2
1 CCMI, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands, 2 Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics,
Dominican University of California, San Rafael
Nine spur and groove reef sites in 9-15 meters of water were surveyed in July and August of
2005 through 2007 on the south (windward) and north (leeward) sides of Little Cayman,
Cayman Islands, in protected (no-take marine reserves) and non-protected areas. Live coral
cover, coral diversity, diameter, height and mortality were measured using a methodology based
on the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) protocol. We measured all corals
under a 10 m long transect line, and calculated live coral cover directly under the transect line.
A total of 265 transects and 3343 corals were measured during the study period. Between 2005
and 2007, there was a decline in mean live coral cover from 16.8 to 14.3%, in coral mortality
from 29 to 20%, diameter from 44 to 34 cm and height from 34 to 24 cm, as well as a decrease
in disease prevalence from 10 to 6%, bleaching prevalence from 13 to 10%, and fish bites from
3.5 to 1.5%. Changes in the frequency of corals with sponge or tunicate overgrowth were not
statistically significant, remaining around 3 and 1% respectively. Montastraea, Agaricia and
Porites were respectively the three most abundant genera throughout the 3-year period. We
found no main differences between protected and non-protected areas for any of the parameters
analyzed.
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