Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Coral reef management'
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Matthews, Elizabeth. "Community-based and collaborative management of coral reefs and coastal resources in Palau /." View online ; access limited to URI, 2007. http://0-digitalcommons.uri.edu.helin.uri.edu/dissertations/AAI3284827.
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Andras, Tiffany D. "Seaweed allelopathy against coral: surface distribution of seaweed secondary metabolites by imaging mass sepctrometry." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/44797.
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Coral reefs are in global decline, with seaweeds increasing as corals decrease. Though seaweeds have been shown to inhibit coral growth, recruitment, and survivorship, the mechanism of these interactions is poorly known. Here we use field experiments to show that contact with four common seaweeds induces bleaching on natural colonies of Porites rus. Controls in contact with inert, plastic mimics of seaweeds did not bleach, suggesting treatment effects resulted from allelopathy rather than shading, abrasion, or physical contact. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the hydrophobic extract from the red alga Phacelocarpus neurymenioides revealed a previously characterized antibacterial metabolite, Neurymenolide A, as the main allelopathic agent. For allelopathy of lipid soluble metabolites to be effective, the metabolites would need to be deployed on algal surfaces where they could transfer to corals on contact. We used desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) to visualize and quantify Neurymenolide A on the surface of P. neurymenioides and found the metabolite on all surfaces analyzed. The highest concentrations of Neurymenolide A were on basal portions of blades where the plant is most likely to contact other benthic competitors.
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Afifi, Mansur. "Socio-economic and ecological impacts of coral reef management in Indonesia." Göttingen : Cuvillier, 2003. http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/55018162.html.
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McCorry, Denise. "Hong Kong's scleractinian coral communities : status, threats and proposals for management /." Thesis, Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2002. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B25155131.
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Dirhamsyah. "Analysis of the effectiveness of Indonesia's coral reef management framework." Access electronically, 2005. http://www.library.uow.edu.au/adt-NWU/public/adt-NWU20060509.142404/index.html.
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Heenan, Adel. "Behaviour of settling coral reef fishes and supplementary management tools." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/4601.
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Coral reef fish larvae take an active role in selecting their settlement site and sensory cues may help them to orientate during this process. As settlement is a period of transition through which the majority of individuals do not survive, it is often a focal point for the management of coral reef populations, which are of high conservation concern. In this thesis, I used choice tests and in situ techniques to assess the response of settlement-stage larvae to a range of odour, light and acoustic cues and I found that larvae are more selective in their response to sensory stimuli than previously thought. Micro-habitat odours are not likely to be used during settlement orientation, and odour cues may be used to avoid inappropriate settlement sites. The photopositive behaviour of larval fish is likely to match their spectral sensitivity but this proved difficult to assess in situ because of the high amount of spatial and temporal variation in larval distribution. The positive response of settlement-stage fish to played back reef noise is location specific as well as being highly specific to the reef sound recording. To understand whether it might be the composition of reef sound that drives the selective response of larvae to acoustic cues, I took sound recordings while collecting visual data on fish diversity and the behavioural activity of a sound producing, or soniferous, fish species. I found that the variation in intensity of reef noise matches the activity patterns of a soniferous species, and when reef noise is most intense is when visual estimates on the diversity of the reef fish assemblage are decreased. This information provides the basis for understanding how changes in the reef soundscape may effect larval recruitment and has exciting implications for using sound recordings as a method to monitor coral reefs. Finally, I tested the viability of releasing reared larvae to boost depleted populations and found that collecting and holding settlement-stage fish for a week can increase survival, relative to natural settlement. These data demonstrate that applying our knowledge of the settlement behaviour of coral reef fish will make a significant contribution to developing tools for management.
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Freed, Sarah J. "Social-Ecological Dynamics of Coral Reef Resource Use and Management." PDXScholar, 2013. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1106.
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This dissertation investigates social and ecological factors that facilitate effective management of coral reefs as social-ecological systems. Meta-analytical and field-based methods were employed to examine current management challenges and identify strategies that improve management effectiveness and coral reef health. A meta-analysis was used to evaluate biological indicators of reef health in relation to the types of fishing regulations in place (no-take areas, gear restriction areas, and periodic closures) and the actor groups (community-based, co-management, state, private) involved in management efforts for coral reef fisheries throughout the world. Other than enhancement of fish biomass within no-take areas that was significantly greater than in gear restriction areas, most biological indicators benefitted similarly from management techniques of no-take areas and gear restriction areas. Community-based and co-management were the best performing management arrangements for some biological outcomes but require further case studies to verify findings. Investigation of management effects by region indicated that previously degraded reefs received fewer benefits from management implementation than did relatively healthier reefs. For field investigations, the Comoros islands in the Western Indian Ocean served as a model for tropical coral reefs with challenging socioeconomic contexts, high biodiversity, and high vulnerability to coral reef degradation. Empirical study at 21 sites was used to identify the relative effects of natural and anthropogenic threats to coral reefs of the Comoros. Most previous studies of reef health focus on primarily natural factors or a single anthropogenic threat. This study examined suites of natural factors and human activities to identify the relative importance of each on reef health. Human activities including fishing, sand extraction, and beachfront housing and development were the best predictors of reef health status.
Most notably, human population and fishing predicted fish richness, abundance, and biomass with seasonal variation in the effects, while site orientation strongly predicted benthic cover. Field studies in the Comoros were also used to investigate the roles of community and state actors in co-management and compare effectiveness of comanagement across sites with varying levels of actor participation. Effective management was found to occur with community or `meta-community' (in this case, a Marine Protected Area in which the efforts of several communities were organized) participation in governance and support of state or external agents, while resilient management that overcame considerable challenges was found to occur only with strong community participation and leadership in governance. External agents were found to contribute to development of meta-community governance structure and initiation of community participation through education and capacity building. The findings from these studies reveal that coral reef management can be improved through context appropriate regulations that address detrimental human activities and through wide acceptance and participation in governance with cooperation among states, communities, and external agents.
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Leong, Wai. "Patterns of resource allocation in Caribbean coral reef sponges." View electronic thesis (PDF), 2009. http://dl.uncw.edu/etd/2009-1/leongw/waileong.pdf.
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Yahya, Saleh A. S. "Habitat structure, degradation and management effects on coral reef fish communities." Doctoral thesis, Stockholms universitet, Zoologiska institutionen, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-62187.
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Coral reefs are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems on earth, and are critical to the survival of tropical marine ecosystems and sustenance of local human populations. However, coral reefs are quite vulnerable to disturbances, both natural and anthropogenic. This thesis looks at how coral reef communities have responded to climactic disturbances, particularly the 1997-98 El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and subsequent coral bleaching and mortality that affected much of the Indian Ocean, including the coastal waters of Tanzania, where the study was conducted. In particular, it investigates the effects of coral bleaching, habitat degradation and reef spatial arrangement on reef fish assemblages. Habitat structural complexity and spatial arrangement of reefs had an effect on reef fish communities. Fish communities showed patterns in distribution among habitats and between patch and continuous reefs. Fishes preferred live to bleached/dead or eroded coral, but trophic groups reacted differently to patch and continuous reefs. There were slight changes in fish abundance and significant changes in fish diversity on experimental, bleached branching Acropora coral plots over a period of one year. While fish abundance on one site increased shortly after a bleaching event, 6 years later fish abundance had decreased significantly. Conversely, coral reef communities in northern Tanzania had changed little over an 8-year period, with minor changes associated with the 1997-98 ENSO and the presence or absence of fisheries management. The coral reefs in the region were found to show high variability in community structure and responses of associated fish and invertebrate communities. The findings of this thesis indicate the importance of habitat structure and spatial arrangement of reefs, the detrimental effects of coral bleaching, and the possibility that some reefs and some (generalist) reef fish taxa may exhibit resilience to climate change.At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.
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Selig, Elizabeth Rose Bruno John F. "Effects of changing temperatures on coral reef health implications for management /." Chapel Hill, N.C. : University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2008. http://dc.lib.unc.edu/u?/etd,1719.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2008.Title from electronic title page (viewed Sep. 16, 2008). "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Curriculum in Ecology." Discipline: Ecology; Department/School: Ecology.
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Aiello, Danielle P. "COAST TO CORAL: EVALUATING TERRESTRIAL DEVELOPMENT’S RELATIONSHIP TO CORAL ECOSYSTEM CONDITION IN ROATAN, HONDURAS." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1179954979.
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Harper, James Wilkinson. "Stakeholder Perceptions and Preferences for Coral Reef Restoration and Sustainable Resource Management." FIU Digital Commons, 2014. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1486.
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The Florida Reef and associated human community form a unique socio-ecological system. While this system represents great value to society, it is exposed to high levels of vulnerability. Despite intense study of its elements, the system lacks conceptual integrity, its management is fragmented, and user valuation remains unclear. A survey using contingent valuation methods investigated stakeholders' attitudes and how much they are willing to pay for sustainable seafood, coral reef restoration, and research funding for coral reefs in southeastern Florida. Respondents expressed angst about climate change and reef conditions, and they connected reef degradation to land-based pollution and water quality. Regression analysis revealed status (income, education) as weak, indirect predictors of behavior, age as a moderating influence, and environmental and emotive factors as strong, direct predictors. One's relative attachment to ecosystems, such as coral reefs, is theorized as a motivation that displaces the expectations of traditional economic theory.
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Jörgensen, Tove Lund. "Coral Reef Habitats and Fish Connectivity : Implications for coastal management and fishery." Doctoral thesis, Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och botanik, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-125595.
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Coral reefs have one of the highest levels of biodiversity of all ecosystems in the world and are important for both human livelihood and food security throughout many tropical countries. However, due to increased anthropogenic pressure on marine ecosystems, especially during the last couple of decades, coral reefs have become critically over-fished, and many reefs are now in a degraded state and are facing additional future threats due to further over-exploitation, chemical pollution, sedimentation, and effects of climate change. The main aim of this PhD thesis was to understand effects of anthropogenic disturbances on tropical coastal ecosystems and fish connectivity for coastal management purposes. Therefore, linkages between anthropogenic disturbance and corals were investigated (Paper I), as well as interactions between coral reef habitat and associated fish assemblage (Paper II). Furthermore, connectivity between coral reefs and other tropical coastal ecosystems was explored (Paper III), as well as fish migration to reproduction sites (Paper IV), and evaluations of spatial ecology methods (Paper V). The result showed that coral reefs that are already exposed to disturbances, such as freshwater and nutrient run-offs, may be more sensitive to climate change, in terms of increased sea surface temperatures (Paper I). In addition, there were also clear linkages between coral reef quality, in terms of coral coverage, and fish assemblages, which displayed high spatial variability and suggesting patchy recovery after the 1997/1998 bleaching and subsequent coral mass mortality event (Paper II). This highlights the importance of understanding effects of disturbances on corals, especially in terms of synergistic effects between increased water temperatures and other coastal stressors such as decreased salinity and increased nutrients; and the indirect effects of habitat degradation on the fish community. Linkages between fish and different coastal habitats were further explored. The results showed that coral reefs were strongly connected with mangrove and seagrass beds, through ontogenetic migration of fish (Paper III). Migrations to spawning sites of groupers were related to lunar activities when thousands of fish gather for reproduction purposes during new moon, which increases the risk of over-exploitation (Paper IV). The results emphasises the importance of protecting key areas such as nursing grounds and reproduction sites. Furthermore, acoustic telemetry has become an increasingly common method in studies of fish movement, and the results showed that efficiency of acoustic arrays may increase depending on deployment strategies and habitat characteristics (Paper V). In conclusion, the results from this PhD thesis emphasises the importance of protecting coral reef habitats, as well as identifying related susceptible tropical coastal areas, such as nursing grounds and reproduction sites. Indeed, a better scientific understanding of coral reef ecology and indirect and direct effects on fish assemblages are needed for efficient and accurate coastal management decisions.At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 5: Manuscript.
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Gilby, Ben L. "Variability in Marginal Coral Reef Communities: Implications for Marine Protected Area Management." Thesis, Griffith University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367997.
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Human impacts on ecosystem health and functioning are an important and increasing problem for marine ecosystems. In order to properly implement effective management techniques for the amelioration or reversal of these impacts, we require accurate information regarding the degree to which these systems vary naturally and what factors primarily drive this variability. Further, understanding where the influence of particular management interventions rank relative to other potential drivers of community structure is important in understanding potential and realised management success. In addition, it is likely that different factors, and therefore different disturbances and management interventions, will have different effects for different ecosystem components.
On coral reefs, phase shifts to less desirable macroalgal dominated states are often an indicator of changes in ecosystem functioning driven by either overfishing or nutrient enrichment, or both. N a-take marine protected areas (MPAs) have been shown to reverse some of these effects, but cannot prevent
the diffusion of nutrients or sediments across their boundaries. In this thesis, I assess the scale and drivers of variability within benthic communities and fish communities within and outside no-take MPAs in the marginal coral reef habitats of Moreton Bay in subtropical eastern Australia. I focus on the interaction between macroalgae and herbivorous fish and hypothesise that by determining the drivers operating on these components of the marginal reef habitat, I might be able to ascertain the potential for MPAs to elicit community-wide change.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Griffith School of Environment
Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology
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Andersson, Maria, and Mikaela Ring. "The Need for Permanent Mooring Buoys in the Gulf of Thailand : A Minor Field Study." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-139383.
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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the need for permanent mooring buoys at the popular off-shore islands of Pattaya, Thailand. By investigating the ecological, social and economic gains and losses of installing such buoys, the project aims to examine whether such buoys would help support a more sustainable development in the area. In order to fulfil the aims and objectives of the project, a literature study, two different questionnaires, interviews, line intercept transects (LIT) and a boat traffic survey were performed. The results prove that every dive store operator, 71% of the dive instructors/dive masters and 65% of the tourist divers that took part in the interviews or questionnaires have observed anchor damages in the area. This is supported by the results of the LITs, which, although differing greatly between depths, reveal a top score of 44% damaged corals (of which 20% were apparent anchor damages) at snorkelling depth at site 3. At diving depth the damage indexes were generally lower, revealing a top score of 38% damaged corals at Site 2, but no definite anchor damages. The boat traffic survey showed that 192 boats were active in the area, of which 47 used an anchor, during a 3 hour period a Saturday morning. The results also prove that dive store operators and questionnaire participants generally agree that divers wish to see healthy reefs and great aquatic biodiversity when visiting a dive site. The interviews showed that all dive store operators have a positive attitude towards an installation of mooring buoys in the area, which could protect the local reefs and thereby their own business. 85% of the tourist divers that took part in the questionnaires stated they would be willing to pay extra (where a majority of those with a WTP would be willing to pay 7-13 USD) if they could be guaranteed to see healthy coral reefs and a great diversity in species and 88% stated they would be willing to pay extra (where a majority of those with a WTP would be willing to pay 0.7-1.7 USD) to support a permanent mooring buoy system. The interviews and the questionnaires also prove that healthy coral reefs hold a special sentimental value, providing invaluable recreational opportunities to humankind. Conclusively the results indicate that there is a need for permanent mooring buoys in the area. The ecological, social and economic gains of installing permanent mooring buoys seem to overshadow the cost of installation and maintenance of the buoys, meaning the buoys would most certainly improve the conditions for a more sustainable development in the area.
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Humphries, Austin Turner. "Fishing for resilience : herbivore and algal dynamics on coral reefs in Kenya." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013147.
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Herbivory is a key process that mediates the abundance of primary producers and community composition in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. On tropical coral reefs, changes in herbivory are often related to phase shifts between coral-dominance and dominance by seaweeds, or foliose macroalgae. Resilience or capacity to resist and reverse such phase shifts is, therefore, viewed as a critical function on coral reefs. This thesis used grazer exclusion and assay experiments at six sites within three different fisheries management regimes in Kenya to identify the impacts of herbivores (sea urchins and fishes) on algal dynamics in the context of coral reef resilience. First, I examined the grazing rates necessary to prevent phase shifts by quantifying consumption and algal production. Here, I found that, over a 390-day experiment, at least 50 percent of algal production must be consumed to avoid accumulation of algal biomass. Using video observations, I also showed that scraping parrotfishes remove more algae (per unit of fish biomass) than previously assumed, and that sea urchins, if released from predation, have similar impacts to fishes. Then I focused on algal succession, and found that sea urchins and fishes have different effects that are mediated by their abundances and species composition. Where sea urchins were less abundant and parrotfishes absent (e.g. young fisheries closures), progression of algae from turfs to early and then late successional macroalgae occurred rapidly and within 100 days. I then turned my focus to the removal of already established macroalgae (grown for > 1 yr in the absence of herbivores) and showed that sea urchins and browsing fishes were able to remove significant amounts of macroalgae where either herbivore was abundant. However, using multiple-choice selectivity assays and in situ video recordings, I found that browsing fishes fed very selectively with low overlap in diet among species, leading to low functional redundancy within a high diversity system. Finally, using long-term survey data (from 28 sites) to build a 43-year chronosequence, I showed that it is possible that the effects of herbivory will not be constant across transitions from open fishing to fishery closures through non-linear grazing intensity. Therefore, increases in herbivory within fisheries closures may not be immediate and may allow a window of opportunity for algae to go from turf to unpalatable macroalgae until scraping and browsing fishes fully recover from fishing (~ 20 years). The findings in this thesis are novel and raise concern over the potential implications of the slow recovery of parrotfishes or, given lower than expected functional redundancy in grazing effects, the absence of even one browsing fish species in fisheries closures. Overall, this thesis highlights the importance of herbivore community dynamics in mediating interactions among algae, and provides new insights for conservation and management actions that attempt to bolster the resilience of coral reefs.
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Aiello, Danielle P. "Coast to coral evaluating terrestrial development's relationship to coral ecosystem condition in Roatan, Honduras /." Ohio : Ohio University, 2007. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?ohiou1179954979.
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Radford, Benedict. "Cross-shelf coral reef biodiversity : does data and ecological theory fit with habitat-based species conservation models?" University of Western Australia. School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, 2007. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2007.0212.
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[Truncated abstract] Selection of priority areas for Marine Park conservation is often compromised by the lack of comprehensive biodiversity data and the resources and expertise necessary to gain this information directly by sampling. One cost effective alternative is the use of species groups or indicator species as surrogates for total biodiversity. However use of these surrogates requires an ecological understanding of how they reflect biodiversity gradients. A framework for unravelling these relationships has been suggested that involves relating species biodiversity to different and competing ecological models using appropriate statistical analysis. I use this framework to explore coral species biodiversity over a range of environmental gradients encompassing the North West Shelf of Australia and the Great Barrier Reef in North East Australia. ... I assessed physiological responses of corals to physical factors to corroborate crossshelf patterns in species biodiversity. Finally, I investigated to what extent coral cooccurrence based species groups (or guilds) can be used as surrogates for total coral biodiversity. The major findings of this thesis were: i) coral biodiversity along cross-shelf environments was highly correlated to specific gradients of abiotic reef conditions; ii) larval modelling indicates the potential for significant connectivity across continentalshelf environments such that differences in species distribution are not simply as a result of self seeding. iii) similar correlative patterns were demonstrated for coral species that occur along comparable abiotic gradients in reef areas of both Eastern and Western Australia, suggesting a causal relationship between the physical environment and coral biodiversity; iv) coral physiological parameters measured using lipid fractions independently corroborated the hypothesis that there is a biological basis for observed coral distributions; v) reef coral communities are not highly structured across abiotic physical gradients and biodiversity across the shelf increases as conditions become suitable for a wider range of species; vi) total coral biodiversity can be estimated very accurately (within r2 values ranging from 0.75 to 0.90) using a small number (15-30) of optimally chosen indictor species using the randomForest statistical method. These results suggest coral biodiversity over cross-shelf environments conforms most closely to the
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Galal, Nasser. "Studies on the coastal ecology and management of the Nabq Protected Area, South Sinai, Egypt." Thesis, University of York, 1999. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/14022/.
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Wildes, Fred Thomas. "A resource management strategy for the Belize barrier reef system." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/41513.
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The need for a broader geographical and functional perspective in managing natural resources of the Belize barrier reef system was examined. The small country of Belize in Central America is struggling to increase its economic development and growth. It has an excellent natural resource base, the most dramatic component being the extensive barrier reef system just offshore.
The research identified key economic and environmental issues relative to Belize’s reef complex, and analyzed resource management policies and actions taken to date. Development and conservation needs suggest a multiple use strategy aimed at economic and environmental sustainability. Due to areal extent and ecological complexity, the present reactive, small-scale and piecemeal approach is not adequate to realize sustainable utilization of the area’s resources. This research shows the need for a broad spatial and interdisciplinary “coastal zone" perspective, leading to a comprehensive and integrated strategy upon which to base resource planning and management.
A strategy for the reef system must be accomplished within the broader context of a national resource management strategy, integrating concerns of economic development and environmental protection. As a component of this national policy, the proposed strategy for the barrier reef system is based on principles of multiple use of resources, coastal zone scope, and sustainability. The research supports a reef system-wide protected area, using a biosphere reserve framework and a customized model planning process to implement the strategy.Master of Science
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Salem, Mohammed. "Management of fishing in the Ras Mohammed National Park, with special reference to the fishery for Lethrinus nebulosus (Forsskal, 1775)." Thesis, University of York, 1999. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/14041/.
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Hidayat, Aceng. "Institutional analysis of coral reef management : a case study of Gili Indah Village, West Lombok, Indonesia /." Aachen : Shaker, 2005. http://bvbr.bib-bvb.de:8991/F?func=service&doc_library=BVB01&doc_number=013347988&line_number=0002&func_code=DB_RECORDS&service_type=MEDIA.
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Myers, Trina Sharlene. "Applying semantic technologies and artificial intelligence to eco-informatic modelling of coral reef systems." Thesis, James Cook University Queensland, 2009. https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/14998/.
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A “data deluge” is overwhelming many areas of research. Massive amounts of scientific data are being produced that cannot be effectively processed. Remote environmental monitoring (including sensor networks) is being rapidly developed and adopted for collecting real-time data across widely distributed locations. As the volume of raw data increases, it is envisaged that bottlenecks will develop in the data analysis phase of research workflows, because data processing and synthesis procedures still generally involve manual manipulation. Despite the exponential growth in data and the consequential challenges in data management, current e-Research communities are exploring solutions to the “data deluge”. E-Research is the amalgamation of research techniques, data and people with Information Communication Technologies (ICT) to enhance research capabilities. Recent research efforts by the Semantic Web and Knowledge Representation (KR) domains focus on the development of automated data synthesis technologies. A key component in these solutions is the semantic technologies. Semantic technologies involve methods to add contextual information to data through ontologies so logic systems can be applied by the computer to enable automated inference. An ontology explicitly describes concepts in “computer-understandable” terms which allows for automated reasoning and intelligent decision-making by the machine. Automated data analysis and knowledge discovery is desirable because the manual manipulation of data processing and synthesis requires human intervention which will become increasingly more difficult to sustain as the data deluge grows. This dissertation introduces the Semantic Reef project which is an eco-informatics software architecture designed to alleviate data management problems within marine research. The intention was to develop an automated data processing, problem-solving and knowledge discovery system within the scope of e-Research, which will assist in developing our understanding and management of coral reef ecosystems.The Semantic Reef project employs e-Research approaches including semantic technologies and scientific workflows, which together create a platform designed to evaluate complex hypothesis queries and/or provide alerting for unusual events (e.g., coral spawning or bleaching). The Semantic Reef project was built as a KR platform, so researchers can combine disjoint data from different sources into a single Knowledge Base (KB) to pose questions of the data. Scientific workflows access and retrieve remote sensor data and/or data available via the Web to populate the KB. The KB consists of a hierarchy of reusable and usable ontologies that together generically model a coral reef ecosystem in a “computer-understandable” form. The ontologies range from informal through to formal and, when coupled to datasets, derive inferences from data to “ask” the KB questions for semantic correlation, synthesis and analysis. The ontology design leverages the scalable and autonomic characteristics of semantic technologies such as modularity, reuse and the ability to link latent connections in data through complex logic systems. The overall goal of the Semantic Reef project was to enable marine researchers to pose hypotheses about environmental data gathered from in situ observations, and to explore phenomena such as climate change effects on an ecosystem rather than on one component at a time. Currently, in marine research, there has been an explosive increase in the number of questions posed about climate change effects; for example, questions about the origins of phenomena such as coral bleaching on coral reef ecosystems. To be answered, these questions need to be able to assess the cumulative combination of ecological factors and stressors that contribute to the tipping point from a healthy coral to stressed coral due to coral bleaching. The marine biology domain has an urgent need for more efficient investigation of the disparate data streams and data sourc s. The Semantic Reef project, which incorporates the new hypothesis-driven research tools and problem-solving methods, is designed as a proof of concept to resolve this need. The Semantic Reef system has the capacity to pose hypotheses and automate inferences of the available data. The system’s design supports flexibility in theoretic hypothesis design because the researcher is not required to predetermine the exact hypothesis prior to gathering data for import to the KB. Rather, the questions can be as flexible as the researcher requires, and they may evolve as new data becomes available or as ideas grow and/or epiphanies emerge. Then, once phenomena in the data are disclosed through semantic inference, in situ observations can be performed to confirm or negate the theory. The Semantic Reef tool offers marine researchers this flexibility in hypothesis modelling to theorise about a range of scientific conundrums such as the cumulative causal factors that contribute to coral bleaching. This study is the first known example of Semantic Web technologies and scientific workflows combined to integrate data, with the purpose of posing observational hypotheses or inferring alerts in the coral reef domain. As a proof of concept, the Semantic Reef system offers a different approach to the development and execution of observational hypotheses on coral reefs. The system offers adaptability when applying hypotheses and questions of data, specifically in scenarios where the hypothesis is not apparent prior to data collection efforts. The Semantic Reef system cannot overcome the data deluge, but it offers a unique approach to the discovery of new phenomena that, through automation, can alleviate the problems associated with the data analysis phase.
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Edwards, Peter E. T. "Measuring the recreational value of changes in coral reef ecosystem quality in Jamaica the application of two stated preference methods /." Access to citation, abstract and download form provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company; downloadable PDF file, 310 p, 2009. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1818417431&sid=4&Fmt=2&clientId=8331&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Grober-Dunsmore, Linda Erica. "Applying terrestrial landscape ecology principles to the design and management of marine protected areas in coral reef ecosystems." [Gainesville, Fla.] : University of Florida, 2005. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/UFE0008350.
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Hidayat, Aceng [Verfasser]. "Institutional Analysis of Coral Reef Management : A Case Study of Gili Indah Village, West Lombok, Indonesia / Aceng Hidayat." Aachen : Shaker, 2005. http://d-nb.info/118161421X/34.
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López, Padierna Mauricio. "Distribution and Condition of Stony Corals in The Veracruz Reef System National Park: A Management Perspective." NSUWorks, 2017. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_stuetd/447.
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The Veracruz Reef System (VRS) is located in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. It is comprised of 28 coral reefs in various stages of development and conservation. They are protected under the Parque Nacional Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano National Park created in 1992. There are many threats to the reefs of the VRS, including the Port and city of Veracruz, which hosts half a million inhabitants and Mexico’s oldest active port. The inhabitants of Veracruz have used reef resources for thousands of years, as evidenced in archaeological sites on Sacrificios island, and constructions throughout the city, most notably in the San Juan de Ulúa Fort which was built entirely of coral skeletons. Despite the usage and protection given under the National Park, there is relatively little known about the health and condition of the stony corals in the System. There has only been one large scale study of 21 reefs conducted in the VRS in the late 1980’s. Since then, the National Park was created and 28 reefs are now recognized. This study performed point-intercept transects on 24 of these reefs including five reefs added to the official list in 2012. Point-intercept transects were surveyed at 63 sites between 2007 and 2014. Percent cover was calculated for seven functional groups. Additionally, demographic data of a subset of individual stony coral colonies were assessed on each transect. The functional group with the greatest cover in the VRS was crustose coralline algae (mean ± S.E.: 28.9% ± 1.97), stony corals had the second highest cover (21.5% ± 1.24). The Jamapa river divides the VRS into two groups the Veracruz group to the North and the Anton Lizardo group to the south of the river mouth. The Veracruz group had lower crustose coralline algae cover (28.1% ± 2.71) and coral cover (17.8% ± 1.55) than the Anton Lizardo group (29.6% ± 2.87 CCA and 25.3% ± 1.86 coral cover). The highest average coral cover on a reef was recorded at Ahogado Chico (45.5% ± 5.58), and the highest cover recorded on a single transect was 70% at Santiaguillo reef. The lowest coral cover was recorded at the fringing reefs on the north of the VRS, Punta Gorda and Punta Brava which had less than 1% coral cover. Coral colonies averaged 69.1 cm ± 3.10 in length at the VRS, 56.8 cm ± 2.98 in the Veracruz group and 81.7 cm ± 5.11 in the Antón Lizardo group. Old partial mortality was 25% ± 1.05 overall and similar between groups, recent partial mortality was 1.2% ± 0.21 and 1% at both groups. Disease prevalence was 3.9% for the VRS, 2.9% ± 0.88 in the Veracruz group and 4.9% ± 1.11 in the Antón Lizardo group. Overall, these reefs are faring slightly better than other reefs in the Caribbean having higher coral cover and larger colonies. However, the great variability in the health and condition of these reefs demands added attention and clear management goals to ensure their persistence in the face of ever growing threats. It is important to decrease the sources of stress, such as construction and poor waste water management in the area, better regulate fishing and approach a watershed wide management plan which takes into account upstream effects from the rivers that discharge into the Veracruz Reef System.
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Hayden, Jason. "A multi-species mariculturesystem : a holistic approach to ornamental culture." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2034.
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Thesis (MTech (Oceanography))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010Coral reefs are in a worldwide state of crisis due to overexploitation. One of the factors contributing to the over exploitation is the marine ornamental industry. This industry utilises a diversity of organisms, comprising approximately 1470 species of fish and more than 300 species of invertebrates. Between April and December 2007, five of the 18 companies who had import permits for South Africa, imported a total of 359 different ornamental species, 252 of these were fish species while the remaining 107 species were invertebrates. During these nine months a total of 32 005 individual organisms were imported into South Africa by the five companies. There were two groups of fish that represented the highest import volumes. These were Amphiprion spp. and Pomacentradae spp., as well as the Gobidae spp. These groups represented 38% and 19% respectively of the total number of fish imported" Aquaculture has the potential to substantially reduce the harvesting pressure on coral reef organisms globally. A small-scale multi-species mariculture system was designed and constructed for benthic egg-laying species of fish (brood stock), corals, and ornamental algae. The system was designed to be low cost and easy to operate. The total capital costs for the system was R15 680.70. In order to estimate the potential yield of an aquaculture facility it is important to know the growth rate of the proposed species under pilot conditions. The use of artificial lighting regimes in aquaculture comes at a financial cost. It is for this reason that it is important to know what lighting scenario yields the highest growth rate of corals. The effects of photoperiod were tested on Sinularia sp. of coral. Two photoperiods were tested, namely: Groups (8:16 h Iight:dark cycle) and Group12 (12:12 h light:dark cycle). No significant difference in weight was found between Group8 and Group12 (p = 0.975). There was however a significant increase (p = 0.002) in Surface-area Pixel Value (SPV) for Groups (1996.73 millipixels pixel-1 day -1) compared to Group12 (983.73 millipixels pixel-1 day -1). The use of a 8:16 h lightdark cycle can thus yield coral of a larger size but not necessarily a higher mass.
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How, Jason R. "The biology and ecology of epinephilidae speciea and their implications to fisheries management." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2013. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/869.
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This thesis examines the biological and ecological aspects of members of the globally exploited Epinephilidae with reference to fisheries management and in particular the use of closures. The leopard coralgrouper Plectropomus leopardus is a common reef fish throughout the Indo-Pacific region and a major target of both commercial and recreational fisheries. There has been limited research on this species in the eastern Indian Ocean, where there are only two populations. An examination of the species found a number of significant biological differences to their eastern Australian con-specifics. Most noticeable was the strong size-related cue over their protogynous sex change. The lack of the typical social mechanisms regulating sex change for this family ultimately resulted on a spatially explicit pattern in spawning omission. After an assessment of a number of anthropogenic and environmental parameters, fishing pressure was found to be the likely cause behind spawning omission. Spawning was restricted to areas where fishing pressure was light (i.e. within protected areas), and fish were able to attain a size where they could become male. The strong link between spawning sites and males, coupled with historical samples of spawning fish at locations where current extensive sampling revealed none, re-affirms the hypothesis of fishing pressure causing spawning omission. Histology, underwater visual census and acoustic tracking were used to determine the spawning aggregation dynamics of leopard coralgrouper at some of these spawning sites. Results yielded interesting differences from the GBR population and a number of other epinephelids. At the Abrolhos Islands, spawning was not limited to the new moon, but also encompassed the full moon, with a distinct difference between male and female attendances at aggregation sites. Females only attended aggregations during these lunar phases, while males moved to the aggregations almost daily during the spawning season. The formation of aggregations in the morning and their cessation by the afternoon provided a major departure from almost all other examples of spawning aggregations in Epinephelidae, which are considered to undertake a dusk spawning. Acoustic telemetry of leopard coralgrouper at the Abrolhos Islands indicated the species is generally sedentary, which is consistent with the suite of epinephelids that were tracked at Ningaloo Reef. Twenty fish from six species of Epinephelidae were tracked for up to two years revealing highly sedentary, habitat attached movement patterns. There was limited movement between habitats, with channels bisecting the reef slope, providing a natural barrier to fish movement. The findings of the thesis are all discussed with reference to fisheries management and in particular spatial and temporal closures. They all provide evidence toward a common finding that management measures must take into account local species-specific biological and ecological characteristics.
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Sulu, Reuben John. "Multidisciplinary appraisal of the effectiveness of customary marine tenure for coral reef finfish fisheries management in Nggela (Solomon Islands)." Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/1327.
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The failure of centralised fisheries management systems to prevent the overexploitation of coral reef resources has led many scholars and conservation practitioners to promote the use of customary marine tenure (CMT) as an alternative devolved means of fisheries management. The effectiveness of CMT for fisheries management is debated; some scholars argue that CMT is embedded within particular historical, socio-economic and political contexts and that unless it evolves to changing circumstances, its effectiveness for fisheries management will wane under external influences and changing exploitation patterns. Each CMT regime is unique; hence its response to changing circumstances may vary. A better understanding of the circumstances under which a CMT regime is likely to succeed is important if it is to be effectively used for fisheries management. This research is posited on the DPSIR (Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, Response) model and employs multidisciplinary methods to investigate the effectiveness of CMT for reef finfish fisheries management. The aims of this thesis are: (1) To investigate the role of markets and subsistence as driving factors for fishing; (2) To investigate fisher spatial allocation of fishing, methods and target taxa (as proxies for pressure and impact); (3) contribute to the biological knowledge of a prominent vulnerable species (Plectropomus leopardus) by investigating aspects of its demography and reproduction (as a proxy for state); and (4) Investigate relationships between the Nggela CMT governance system and modern governance system (as a proxy for response), to improve understanding of how this knowledge may be applied to enhance small-scale fisheries management. The role of markets and subsistence as driving (D) factors for fishing was investigated using the sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA). Ninety three (43 from the western zone and 50 from the eastern zone) household surveys were conducted in 10 (5 from the eastern zone and 5 from the western zone) randomly selected villages in Nggela to determine the contribution of different livelihood activities to fisher livelihoods. The reason for comparing the eastern and western zone was to determine the role of available natural land capital as one contributing factor (besides markets) to fishing drivers. Quantitative data generated from the household surveys were analysed using the statistical package SPSS. Additional key informant interviews to generate qualitative data to support the quantitative data were also conducted. Spatial allocation of fishing and target taxa was investigated using household surveys (the same household survey mentioned above but with questions to address the issue of spatial allocation and fishing methods used), participative fishing with fishers to confirm spatial allocation of fishing and fishing methods employed and recording of landings data to determine the types of fish taxa targeted. One of the initial aims of studies on P. leopardus was to compare the age-based demographic parameters of P. leopardus between CMT areas and offshore sub-tidal areas, the hypothesis being that if CMT was effective agebased demographic parameters would reveal the non vulnerability of P. leopardus in CMT areas. Such a comparison was not possible as only 4 specimens were obtained from inshore CMT areas compared to 116 specimens from offshore sub-tidal reefs. To determine the age-based demographic parameters of Plectropomus leopardus, fish total lengths (mm) and otoliths of fish were collected in the field, this was followed by otolith annuli counts of ages (tagged to a particular fish of certain total length) at the laboratory. A von Bertalanffy growth curve was then fitted to the fish total length data and to the age data to determine asymptotic length, Brody growth coefficient and theoretical age at length zero. Total mortality rate was determined by generating catch curves where the frequency of fish in each age class was regressed against age. Longevity was determined by calculating the mean age of 10% of the oldest individuals. Demographic parameters of P. leopardus in Nggela were also compared to those of Australian locations to determine variations in age-based demography. Data analysis of P. leopardus data was done using the statistical software R and Microsoft Excel 2003. Reproductive aspects of P. leopardus were determined from the fish gonads collected from the field. Fish gonads were used to determine different sexual reproductive stages. Data on the different sexual reproductive stages was used to determine sexual maturity and sex change. The relationship between CMT governance and modern governance and how they may be combined for an effective reef finfish fisheries management was investigated using literature research, key informant interviews and dynamite fisher interviews. Investigations of livelihoods show that Nggela fishers were engaged in more than one livelihood activity for their livelihoods. Subsistence gardening was the most important livelihood activity. While finfish was important for subsistence purposes, accessible markets and the role of middlemen in the villages made it especially important for income generation. A comparison of the role of fishing between eastern and western zone showed that available natural land capital was also an important driver for fishing; fishing was higher in the western zone where there was a narrow natural land capital. Fisher perceptions indicate a declining trend in fisheries resource abundances within CMT areas; such decline has resulted in changes in the spatial allocation of fishing with a shift in fishing to offshore sub tidal reefs. Although some spatial closures were observed, fishing within the CMT areas is flexible. Three MPA’s currently existed in West Nggela and fishing prohibitions within the areas were observed mainly because people thought that the MPA’s were underscored by the government. Line fishing from dugout canoes remains the main method of fishing. Median trophic level of fish catch was between 2 - 3.84 while median standard length of catch was between 19 - 24 cm. Age-based demographic studies show that the Brody growth coefficient of Nggela P. leopardus was 0.13 yr-1, longevity was 12.9 years, maximum age was 15 years and mortality rate was 0.22% yr-1. Female sexual maturity of Nggela P. leopardus began at 2 years of age with 50% sexual maturity achieved at 3.22 years. Sexual transition from female to male began at 3 - 10 years of age with 50% sex change achieved at 11 years. Mature female to male ratio was 3:1. The age-based demographic parameters of P. leopardus in Nggela were similar to those in Swain and Lizard Island in Australia. For Swain reef, growth coefficient was 0.17 yr-1, longevity was 10.1 years, maximum age was 14 years and mortality rate was 0.39% yr-1. For Lizard Island, growth coefficient was 0.26 yr-1, longevity was 7.2 years, maximum age was 10 years and mortality rate was 0.59% yr-1. Age-based demographic parameters of P. leopardus in Nggela were different to locations in Western Australia – Scott and Abrolhos reefs. For Scott reef, growth coefficient was 0.42 yr-1, longevity was 6.4 years, mortality rate was 0.30% yr-1 while the maximum age was 8 years. For Abrohlos reef growth coefficient was 0.08 yr-1, longevity was 13 years, mortality rate was 0.24% yr-1 and maximum age was 18 years. Sea temperature may be one contributing factor to regional variations in age-based demographic parameters. The current CMT governance system has undergone changes which has rendered it ineffective as a coercive force for reef finfish fisheries management. While CMT is recognised by the modern governance system through National legislations, necessary ordinances at the provincial level are absent which prevent the effective use of CMT for fisheries management. For CMT to be effective it requires empowerment at the provincial government level.
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Westera, Mark B. "The effect of recreational fishing on targeted fishes and trophic structure, in a coral reef marine park." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2003. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1499.
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Recreational line fishing is highly targeted at predatory fishes, making them vulnerable to overfishing. These same fishes play a role in trophic structure by regulating prey species. Despite increasing numbers of fishers, few studies have investigated the potential effects of recreational fishing on fish populations and subsequent trophic effects. This project investigated whether there were differences in fishes and benthos between unfished and recreationally fished areas, and whether the removal of targeted fishes influenced trophic structure. The study was conducted at the Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia, which had Sanctuary (no-take) and Recreation {recreationally fished) Zones. Data were collected from three regions (Mandu, Osprey and Maud) and replicated over time. Fish assemblages, benthos and trophic interactions were compared between zones at each region. At Ningaloo the lethrinids (emperors) are a top-order predatory fish and the preferred target of recreational anglers. The algal-grazing urchin Echinometra mathaei comprised 51% of macro invertebrate abundances and was heavily preyed upon by lethrinids, being recorded in 50% of the guts of sampled fish. In nil regions, Sanctuary Zones had a greater biomass of lethrinids than Recreation Zones, but there were no differences in non-targeted fishes between zones. Despite the consistent effect on lethrinids, there were inconsistencies among regions in the predator-prey relationships. At Mandu, Echinometra mathaei abundances were inversely related to lethrinid biomass, suggesting a strong predator-prey interaction. In the Recreation Zone, the abundances of E. mathaei were four times greater, and macro-algal cover was half, that of the Sanctuary Zone. Furthermore, algal composition differed between zones, and this was driven by fucoid brown algae, which dominated the diets of E. mathaei. This was interpreted as evidence of a trophic cascade resulting from the removal of lethrinids at the Recreation Zone. At Maud, different results were recorded. Abundances of Echinometro mathaei and lethrinids were both higher in the Sanctuary Zone, than the adjacent Recreation Zone. E. mathaei reside in the crevices of rock, dead coral or Echinapora coral, which provided refuge from predation and this habitat was more available in the Sanctuary Zone. It is suggested that the availability of this habitat confounded the effects of predation. Macro- algal cover was lower in the Sanctuary Zone indicating a grazing effect from E. mathaei. At Osprey there was higher cover of E. mathaei habitat in the Sanctuary than the Recreation Zone. However, there were no differences in macro-algal cover, which was consistent with a lack of difference in E. mathaei abundances. The effect of E. mathaei grazing was unlikely to have been confounded by fishes that graze macro-algae, as they did not differ between zones at any region. These results indicate that recreational fishing reduced fish populations below that of adjacent protected areas at Ningaloo Marine Park, and in one region this resulted in a trophic cascade. This may be the first study that has recorded evidence of a trophic cascade where recreational line fishing is the only means of extraction. However, the results also show that this is not a consistent response to reduced fishing pressure; in other regions, changes in predatory fish abundance did not result in differences in the abundances of their prey, suggesting no trophic cascade. The studies have contributed towards an understanding of fish-habitat interactions and provide a baseline for future monitoring of the Ningaloo Marine Park. They also have important implications for marine park managers in terms of defining their expectations when implementing Sanctuary Zones. The results also show that Sanctuary Zones have the potential to be effective tools for fisheries management.
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Ladd, Mark. "Managing for Resilience: Practical Applications of Marine Science to Improve Natural Resource Management: A Case Study in the Puerto Morelos Marine Protected Area." FIU Digital Commons, 2011. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/388.
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Coral reefs and the ecological, social, and economic benefits that they provide are seriously endangered by a colossal number of threats. This study was conducted in marine protected area (MPA) in the Mexican Caribbean. The purpose of this study was to provide results that can be directly applied by MPA managers to improve coral reef conservation and management. Characterization of four coral reef sites and stressors described in a proxy map were integrated into a comparative resilience assessment. Sites ranged from 16.5% to 3.5% coral cover and 47.5% to 12% macroalgal cover. Stressor distribution and intensity was highest near the Puerto Morelos town center and followed general water current patterns. Fishing, tourism, and pollution were identified as major stressors on which management can positively influence. The results of this study provide managers throughout the Caribbean a managerial tool chest to improve management efficacy and bolster conservation initiatives.
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Abeare, Shane. "The Vezo communities and fisheries of the coral reef ecosystem in the Bay of Ranobe, Madagascar." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2019. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2685.
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Madagascar, a country whose extraordinary levels of endemism and biodiversity are celebrated globally by scientists and laymen alike, yet historically has received surprisingly little research attention, is the setting of the present dissertation. Here, I contribute to the need for applied research by: 1) focusing on the most intensely fished section of the Toliara Barrier Reef, the Bay of Ranobe; 2) characterizing the marine environment, the human population, and the fisheries; and 3) collecting the longest known time-series of data on fisheries of Madagascar, thereby providing a useful baseline for future analyses. In Chapter 1, the bathymetry of the Bay was characterized following a unique application of the boosted regression tree classifier to the RGB bands of IKONOS imagery. Derivation of water depths, based on DOS-corrected images, following a generic, log-transformed multiple linear regression approach produced a predictive accuracy of 1.28 m, whereas model fitting performed using the boosted regression tree classifier, allowing for interaction effects (tree complexity= 2), provided increased accuracy (RMSE= 1.01 m). Estimates of human population abundance, distribution, and dynamics were obtained following a dwelling-unit enumeration approach, using IKONOS Panchromatic and Google Earth images. Results indicated, in 2016, 31,850 people lived within 1 km of the shore, and 28,046 people lived within the 12 coastal villages of the Bay. Localized population growth rates within the villages, where birth rates and migration are combined, ranged from 2.96% - 6.83%, greatly exceeding official estimates of 2.78%. Annual pirogue counts demonstrated a shift in fishing effort from south to the north. Gear and boat (pirogue) profiles were developed, and the theoretical maximum number of fishermen predicted (n= 4,820), in 2013, from a regression model based on pirogue lengths (R2= 0.49). Spatial fishing effort distribution was mapped following a satellite-based enumeration of fishers-at-sea, resulting in a bay-wide estimate of intensity equaling 33.3 pirogue-meters km-2. Landings and CPUE were characterized, with respect to finfish, by family, species, gear, and village. Expansion of landings to bay-wide fisheries yields indicated 1,885.8 mt year-1 of mixed fisheries productivity, with an estimated wholesale value of 1.64 million USD per annum.
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Molina-Ureña, Helena. "Towards an Ecosystem Approach for Non-Target Reef Fishes: Habitat Uses and Population Dynamics of South Florida Parrotfishes (Perciformes: Scaridae)." Scholarly Repository, 2009. http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/237.
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The goal of this research was to develop statistically robust ecosystem-based approaches, while optimizing data acquisition on relatively unexploited fish species in South Florida reefs, i.e., parrotfishes, Family Scaridae, in Biscayne Bay (with seasonal roller frame beam trawl surveys, 1996-2000) and Florida Keys (with annual Reef Fish Visual Censuses, 1997-2001), by following these steps: (I) analysis of information gaps for the stocks, including systematics, biogeography, population dynamics, reproductive ecology, trophodynamics, habitat use, and fisheries dynamics of Western Atlantic parrotfishes; (II) determination of primary research objectives from prioritization in Step I; (III) determination of essential fish habitats, ontogenetic shifts, migrations, and reef-seagrass habitat, from integration of stratified sampling design for fisheries-independent surveys, habitat selection theory-based analyses, and length-based analyses; (IV) estimation of population dynamics and fisheries-specific parameters encompassing life history demographics from empirical data or comparisons to theoretical expectations adapted to local conditions; (V) simulation modeling of a realistic range of fishing scenarios and demographic characteristics to evaluate the efficacy of potential traditional fisheries and spatial management strategies; and (VI) application of sampling optimization procedures and fisheries ecology approaches. Four scarid species had an estimated combined abundance of ca. 36.8 x 106 individuals in the Florida Keys. Connectivity among seagrass beds, coral reefs and deep waters had three major patterns: seagrass dwellers, reef dwellers, with inshore-to-offshore ontogenetic , and a seagrass-reef connection, using Biscayne Bay as an important recruitment ground. Marine protected areas of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary did not show effects on abundance, size composition or spatial distribution of any parrotfish studied. Simulations suggested relatively short longevities (5-10 years), moderate body growth curvature, high instantaneous natural mortality rates (0.3-0.6 y super minus one), and low annual survival rates (27-54%). Simulated estimates of fishing mortalities ranged from 0.3 to 0.6 y super minus one, indicating low levels of exploitation, but low Spawning Potential Ratios (SPR = 23.5-26%). Proposed potential exploitation based on a legal minimum size equal to their size at first maturity and fishing rates equal or below to their natural mortality should secure SPR values at 45-48%.
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Deaker, Dione. "Resilience of juvenile crown of thorns starfish and the implications for population outbreaks." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2021. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/28204.
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Population outbreaks of the corallivorous crown of thorns starfish (COTS, Acanthaster sp.) are one of the leading causes of coral loss throughout the Indo-Pacific. Decades of research and significant investment have been directed towards understanding and managing the potential causes of outbreaks with a focus on the larval and adult stages. However, the role of the juvenile stage in population dynamics of COTS is poorly understood. This thesis provides new insights on the biology and ecology of juvenile COTS addressing critical knowledge gaps in their growth, diet, behaviour and physiology.
Juvenile COTS are initially obligate herbivores with a known diet of crustose coralline algae (CCA) before they transition to a coral diet. I found that juveniles are also capable of eating a geniculate coralline algae, Amphiroa sp., and can survive on biofilm with diet-dependent growth rates. An important finding is that the juveniles exhibited extreme growth plasticity and paused their growth for more than six years on an algal diet in the absence of coral and continue growing when offered coral. During the transition to coral, juveniles were injured and killed by coral and, if they survived, they regenerated the damaged tissue. Juveniles also exhibited defensive behaviours that were affected by the presence of their natural enemy, coral guard crabs. I also determined the metabolic rate of both herbivorous and corallivorous juveniles.
To reduce the loss of critical coral reef habitat and manage COTS outbreaks, it is crucial to understand and address the inherent biology of COTS that underlie their success. The growth plasticity and diet flexibility of juvenile COTS is a novel finding of this thesis that is likely to drive their resilience in unfavourable conditions, their success when conditions benefit their development, and contribute to the boom-and-bust dynamics of COTS populations.
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Fazekas, Kuyer Josiah Jr. "Effects of Coral Reef Habitat Complexity on the Community Composition and Trophic Structure of Marine Fish Assemblages in Indonesia’s Wakatobi Marine National Park." Wright State University / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1567514980264114.
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Debort, Sophie. "Designing effective protected area networks - integration of the tropical cyclone disturbance regime in the Great Barrier Reef Representative Area Program a GIS application /." Access electronically, 2006. http://www.library.uow.edu.au/adt-NWU/public/adt-NWU20070307.155338/index.html.
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Da, Costa Dionne J. "An Economic Valuation Analysis of Buccoo Reef Marine Park, Tobago, West Indies." FIU Digital Commons, 2010. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/290.
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The purpose of this study was to evaluate tourism capacity, the effectiveness of the management plan and the visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP) for increased conservation effort in the Buccoo Reef Marine Park (BRMP) in Tobago. Non-market contingent valuation was applied to estimate tourists’ WTP, using the data from a survey of 164 tourists. Local residents and government agencies were consulted to evaluate the management plan and the tourism capacity. Eighty-eight percent of local residents stated that the park was not well managed and that they lacked trust in the park agency. The density of tourists was 67-97% more than socially acceptable crowding norm. The tourists were willing to pay an additional entry fee of US$11.72 per person, which would generate additional revenue for the park management. In conclusion, the BRMP management needs modification in order to increase stakeholders’ trust, reduce tourists crowding intensity, and generate additional user-based revenue.
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Underwood, Jim. "Routine and rare genetic connections in corals off northwest Australia and the implications for conservation." University of Western Australia. School of Animal Biology, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0158.
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[Truncated abstract] The extent to which marine populations are connected by larval dispersal is crucial to their distribution, maintenance and diversity. Thus, for the effective conservation of threatened systems such as coral reefs, understanding patterns of connectivity is essential. However, the biophysical mechanisms that retain or disperse larvae within and among populations are poorly understood. Though the open ocean environment provides the opportunity for long-distance dispersal, if this potential is only rarely realised, recruits produced from afar are unlikely to contribute to the local-scale demography of populations over ecological time frames, but will limit broad-scale genetic diversification over evolutionary time. This thesis explores the extent of genetic and demographic connectivity of two species of reef-building corals over a range of spatial scales among the discontinuous reef systems of northwest Australia. ... Putative source and sink dynamics were not random, but were associated with levels of disturbance and recovery from a recent and catastrophic coral bleaching. When S. hystrix samples from another two offshore systems were included in the analysis, large differences among systems showed that gene flow over hundreds of kilometres is rare over microevolutionary time scales that account for connections over multiple generations. Levels of subdivision over the same spatial scales were markedly lower in the acroporid coral, Acropora tenuis, than in S. hystrix. These results are congruent with expectations based on reproductive mode; in contrast to S. hystrix, which releases brooded larvae that are competent to settle immediately, A. tenuis broadcasts its gametes, and after external fertilisation, the larvae need to develop for several days before they are competent to settle. Despite the differences in levels of broad-scale subdivision, in both species significant differentiation was detected between reefs within systems (>10 km), and between sites within some reefs (< 10 km). These results indicate not only that dispersal between reefs and even some reef patches is restricted, but also that hydrodynamics influence retention of brooded and spawned larvae in similar ways. Further analysis of A. tenuis populations from two coastal systems detected significant differences in genetic diversity among the four major systems of northwest Australia. Additionally, genetic divergence between the coastal and offshore zones was greater than expected by the geographic separation of systems, indicating that connectivity between these zones via transport of A. tenuis larvae on oceanic currents occurs rarely even over microevolutionary time scales. This study has two primary implications for conservation. First, since coastal and offshore reefs of northwest Australia appear to be discrete genetic entities, they have independent evolutionary potential to adapt to local conditions and environmental change. Second, systems, reefs and some reef patches of northwest Australia are demographically independent units. Therefore, designs of coral reserve networks should consider routine dispersal distances of kilometres to a few tens of kilometres.
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PALMA, MARCO. "The Application of Structure from Motion Photogrammetry as Innovative Method to Assess Marine Benthic Habitats and Support their Management." Doctoral thesis, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11566/263242.
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I Cambiamenti climatici e le attività antropiche hanno un ruolo nel determinare la composizione degli habitat bentonici ed interferiscono nel funzionamento di molti processi ecosistemici. La quantificazione dei cambiamenti a livello di habitat è ad oggi limitata da tradizionali metodi di campionamento e tecnologie impiegate.Lo scopo di questa ricerca è di ottimizzare la caratterizzazione di habitat marini bentonici utilizzando metodi fotogrammetrici basati sulla Structure for Motion (SfM). Gli obiettivi sono (i) standardizzare una metodologia per lo studio della composizione spaziale di comunità bentoniche ed individuare l’effetto della scala del campione nel determinare la sua rappresentatività; (ii) applicare e testare la metodologia sviluppata per studiare l’effetto di pressioni antropiche e naturali su comunità bentoniche di barriere coralline; e (iii) di proporre nuovi metodi per lo studio della struttura di popolazione e biomassa si organismi bentonici a portamento eretto. La ricerca è stata condotta presso la Riserva Marina Parziale di Ponta do Ouro (PPMR, Mozambico) e l’Area Marina Protetta di Portofino (Italia). Presso la PPMR è emerso che l’area ottimale di campionamento è di 25 m2. Questa superficie di campionamento permette di descrivere diversità, abbondanza, complessità strutturale e morfologica degli organismi della barriera corallina e di studiare gli effetti dei delle attività antropiche (i.e. immersioni subacquee ricreative). Siti di immersione altamente frequentati presentano una bassa densità e diversità di taxa, e sono principalmente popolati da organismi resistenti- a- impatti- di- natura- fisica (i.e. spugne ed alghe) di grandi dimensioni e forme complesse. Al contrario, siti di immersione scarsamente frequentati presentano organismi fragili- a- impatti- di- natura- fisica (i.e. Acropora spp.). Questa ricerca ha dimostrato che nuvole di punti generate da SfM possono essere utilizzate non solo per il calcolo di metriche dimensionali ed abbondanza di organismi a portamento eretto, ma anche per accurate stime della loro biomassa. Il medoto proposto quindi supporta studi di per il calcolo della produttività secondaria ed evita campionamenti distruttivi. Questa tesi sottolinea come SfM possa essere impiegata in supporto alla gestione di aree marine protette ed enfatizza sulla necessità di (i) standardizzare l’impiego di metodi basati sulla SfM a scale spaziali rilevanti per la conservazione degli habitat; (ii) migliorare gli approcci per la stima di biodiversità, biomassa di organismi bentonici e della struttura dei loro habitat, and (iii) provvedere a nuove conoscenze sulla variabilità spaziale delle comunità bentoniche come risultato di pressione antropiche.Global environmental changes and human activities are having significant effects on the composition of marine benthic habitats, disturbing the ecological functioning of many ecosystems. Yet, quantifying ecological responses to habitat changes is challenging because of limitation of current field methods and technology. The aim of this research is to improve the characterization of benthic marine communities by using Structure for Motion (SfM)-based methods. The objectives are (i) to provide a SfM framework to assess the spatial composition of benthic communities and uncover the scale-specific effects that determine sample representativeness; (ii) to apply and test the framework to study the effects of human and environmental pressures on coral reefs; and (iii) to propose a new method for investigating the population structure and biomass of benthic tree-shaped species. The research was carried out at the Partial Marine Reserve of Ponta do Ouro (PPMR, Mozambique) and at the Marine Protected Area of Portofino (Italy). At PPMR, the findings show that the best sampling size is 25 m2. This size allowed capturing the diversity, abundance, structural complexity and morphological functions of reefs' organisms, and investigating changes driven by anthropic activities (i.e. scuba diving). Highly dove sites had low taxa diversity and density, and were characterized by mainly resistant-to-physical-impact organisms (i.e. sponges and algae) of big sizes and with complex shapes. On the contrary, low or moderately dove sites presented fragile-to physical- impact organisms (i.e. Acropora spp.). This research also demonstrated that in addition to abundance and morphological information, the use of SfM point clouds over tree-shaped organisms allows to have accurate prediction of biomass, avoiding to conduct destructive sampling and supporting the calculation of secondary production. To support marine management using SfM to investigate benthic communities, this research emphasizes the need to (i) recognise the need of standardised approaches of SfM method to identify relevant scales for conservation; (ii) develop better approaches to derive quantitative information on marine organisms biodiversity, biomass and on their structural habitat, and (iii) establish further knowledge on the spatial variation of benthic communities as a result of human pressure.
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Chapman, Kelly. "Complexity and creative capacity : reformulating the problem of knowledge transfer in environmental management." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2013. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/696.
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The Ningaloo Reef is Australia’s largest fringing coral reef and an iconic tourist destination; however tourism development in Ningaloo has been ad hoc and the area is challenged by human pressure on numerous fronts. In response to these challenges a number of research agencies brought together a range of scientists to study the effects of human interaction on the reef. Moving from research to practice has been understood to depend on the adaptive capacity of the institutions responsible for governing human activities, in this case in the Ningaloo area. Knowledge transfer describes the suite of strategies used to try to bridge the gap between research and management. Knowledge transfer efforts, however, seldom have the desired impact of seeing research applied to decision-making. The ubiquity of knowledge transfer difficulties across disciplines suggests a common root to the problem, based in our shared cultural assumptions. This study pairs a multidisciplinary theoretical investigation with action research to shed light on why knowledge transfer efforts so often fall short in terms of seeing research applied to practice.
Recent environmental management perspectives on knowledge transfer illustrate the shift towards stakeholder participation as a means of improving knowledge transfer success. As such, the action research study involved the researcher embedding herself in the Ningaloo community for 18 months, adopting the role of a knowledge broker and engaging and collaborating with modelling researchers and local stakeholders on knowledge transfer efforts. However, despite intensive stakeholder engagement, evaluation interviews at the end of the process indicated that although the knowledge transfer process had the effect of catalysing relationships between stakeholder groups in the region, and between regional stakeholders and scientists, it appeared to have relatively little effect on the representational knowledge of local stakeholders or the actual application of research in practice. This led to the question of whether knowledge transfer is itself is part of the research uptake problem, as per the principles of problem formulation, which specify that resolving seemingly intractable problems requires examining the assumptions that underpin our thinking about the problem situation.
On this basis, the theoretical component of this study explored the Newtonian assumptions that inform our understanding of knowledge transfer. An alternative complexity-based ontology is proposed, unifying the metaphysics of materialism and idealism, based on a synthesis of process philosophy, mathematical logic, quantum theory, general systems theory and the complexity sciences. The phenomena of cognition, learning, knowledge and organising are compared in relation to how they’ve been understood within the Newtonian paradigm, and how they are now being explained from the perspective of a complexity-based paradigm. By reframing the action research results from a complexity perspective, the Ningaloo knowledge transfer process does not constitute a failure in terms of enhancing the capacity of the Ningaloo system to make more sustainable decisions. Rather, the increased connectivity between stakeholder groups and scientists can be viewed as more importantly enhancing the creative capacity of Ningaloo’s governance system. It is posited that the research uptake problem should be reformulated from the basis of complexity paradigm, and the notions of knowledge transfer and adaptive capacity reconceptualised accordingly. Instead of devising rational objective arguments for someone else to improve the ‘adaptive capacity’ of human systems, scientists should focus instead on improving their own creative capacity in their local interactions.
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LIMA, Ana Paula Pereira de. "Cobertura e sanidade de corais e zoantídeos (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) em recifes costeiros expostos a diferentes intensidades de uso turístico." Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, 2016. http://www.tede2.ufrpe.br:8080/tede2/handle/tede2/5232.
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The continued growth of tourism has affected coastal ecosystems, especially the reef environments, negatively impacting on their organisms. high intensity tourist areas tend to have a less equal distribution of species and biological diversity lower compared to less frequented areas. This study aimed to describe the relationship between the degree of tourist use and the sanity and abundance of scleractinians corals and zoanthids in coastal reefs. For that purpose, six beaches of the coast of Pernambuco (northeastern Brazil) with different tourist use intensities were selected. The average number of visitors per beach was obtained through observations on days with different intensities of people flow (Sunday and Monday) and the beaches were classified as low use or heavy use. To measure coral cover and zoanthids were established nine transects 25m, parallel to the coast, six in midlittoral and three in the subtidal. Along each transect, three square 1x1m, with 81 points of intersection were arranged. Coral coverage, zoanthids, algae and total live coverage was calculated. All colonies that were within 50m2 each transect were counted, measured and the presence of death and bleaching were recorded. Were listed four species of zoanthids and five species of corals. The zoanthids were more abundant in areas of intense tourist use, in contrast corals were most abundant in the low tourist use, which they had higher diversity of anthozoans. The coral that had the highest number of partially bleached and dead colonies was Siderastrea stellata, besides being the most abundant in all areas. The tourist flow showed the highest relationship with the coral cover and zoanthids than with health indicators adopted for this study. However, factors such as acidification, nutrient increase and temperature fluctuations appear to act synergistically on the health of anthozoans. Changes in benthic community structure can have negative consequences for reef ecosystems, among them the phase shift, causing loss of biodiversity due to favoring the most resistant species, as algae and zoanthids at the expense of corals. Thus, due to the numerous ecosystem services, the reefs demonstrate once again being priority areas for conservation.
O contínuo crescimento da atividade turística tem afetado os ecossistemas costeiros, principalmente os ambientes recifais, impactando negativamente sobre os seus organismos. Áreas de elevada intensidade turística tendem a ter uma distribuição menos equitativa das espécies e uma menor diversidade biológica em relação a áreas menos frequentadas. O presente estudo objetivou descrever a relação entre o grau de uso turístico e a sanidade e abundâncias de corais escleractínios e de zoantídeos em recifes costeiros. Para tal, seis praias do litoral pernambucano (nordeste do Brasil) com diferentes intensidades de uso turístico foram selecionadas. O número médio de visitantes por praia foi obtido através de observações em dias com diferentes intensidades de fluxo de pessoas (domingo e segunda) e as praias foram classificadas como baixo uso ou uso intenso. Para mensurar a cobertura de corais e zoantídeos foram estabelecidos nove transectos de 25m, paralelos à costa, sendo seis no mediolitoral e três no infralitoral. Ao longo de cada transecto, três quadrados de 1x1m, com 81 pontos de intersecção foram dispostos. Foi calculada a cobertura de corais, zoantídeos, algas e a cobertura viva total. Todas as colônias que estavam dentro dos 50m2 de cada transecto foram contabilizadas, medidas e a presença de mortalidade e branqueamento foram registradas. Foram listadas quatro espécies de zoantídeos e cinco espécies de corais. Os zoantídeos foram mais abundantes nas áreas de uso turístico intenso, em contrapartida os corais foram mais abundantes nas áreas de baixo uso turístico, as quais apresentaram maior diversidade de antozoários. O coral que apresentou o maior número de colônias branqueadas e parcialmente mortas foi Siderastrea stellata, além de ter sido o mais abundante em todas as áreas. O fluxo turístico mostrou ter maior relação com a cobertura de corais e zoantídeos do que com os indicadores de sanidade adotados para o presente estudo. No entanto, fatores como acidificação, incremento de nutrientes e oscilações da temperatura parecem agir sinergicamente sobre a sanidade dos antozoários. Modificações na estrutura da comunidade bentônica podem trazer consequências negativas aos ecossistemas recifais, dentre elas a mudança de fase, ocasionando perda de biodiversidade devido ao favorecimento de espécies mais resistentes, como algas e zoantídeos, em detrimento dos corais. Assim, devido aos inúmeros serviços ecossistêmicos, os recifes demonstram mais uma vez, serem áreas prioritárias à conservação.
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Gorris, Philipp [Verfasser], Achim [Akademischer Betreuer] Schlüter, Marion [Akademischer Betreuer] Glaser, Marco [Akademischer Betreuer] Verweij, and Bernhard [Akademischer Betreuer] Glaeser. "Entangled? Linking governance systems for regional-scale coral reef management: Analysis of case studies in Brazil and Indonesia / Philipp Gorris. Betreuer: Achim Schlüter. Gutachter: Achim Schlüter ; Marion Glaser ; Marco Verweij ; Bernhard Glaeser." Bremen : IRC-Library, Information Resource Center der Jacobs University Bremen, 2015. http://d-nb.info/1081255641/34.
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Otwoma, Levy Michael [Verfasser], Hauke [Akademischer Betreuer] Reuter, Martin [Gutachter] Zimmer, and Hauke [Gutachter] Reuter. "Connectivity and exploitation of Acanthurus triostegus and Acanthurus leucosternon in the Indian Ocean : Application of genetics and single stock assessment to aid coral reef management / Levy Michael Otwoma ; Gutachter: Martin Zimmer, Hauke Reuter ; Betreuer: Hauke Reuter." Bremen : Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Bremen, 2018. http://d-nb.info/1171420498/34.
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Epstein, Nimrod. "Coral reefs aspects of management, conservation and restoration /." Amsterdam : Amsterdam : Universiteit van Amsterdam ; Universiteit van Amsterdam [Host], 2002. http://dare.uva.nl/document/62020.
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Mörk, Erik. "Macroalgal community dynamics on coral reefs : Implications for management." Doctoral thesis, Stockholms universitet, Systemekologiska institutionen, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-48281.
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Although rather inconspicuous on healthy coral reefs, macroalgae form the basis of coral food webs. Today, macroalgae are generally increasing and many reefs undergo transitions from coral to macroalgal dominance resulting from e.g. enhanced nutrient loading or increased fishing. This thesis aims to investigate the relative importance of top-down and bottom-up regulation, and different herbivore types, on macroalgal distribution, fecundity and community composition on coral reefs. Papers I and II indicate that macroalgal abundance in a coral reef system is largely governed by top-down regulation through grazing by herbivores, while bottom-up regulation through enhanced nutrient availability rather influence algal species composition. Paper II also shows that these regulating effects are not as evident in an area with relatively strong water motion, suggesting that impacts of anthropogenic disturbance may be site-specific. Paper III shows that herbivory is an important factor influencing macroalgal growth and subsequent reproduction. Furthermore, Paper IV and V conclude that efficiency in removing macroalgal biomass is dependent on the type of dominant herbivore, where sea urchins seem to be more effective than fish. Paper IV indicates a seasonal variation in macroalgal biomass and distribution in a small geographic scale but with relatively high temporal resolution. Paper V on the other hand shows these same effects, but with a focus on geographic variation, including a large part of the East African region, as well as between year temporal variations in Kenya. Together, results from the two latter studies indicate that herbivory by fish may not be able to prevent a macroalgal bloom in a degraded system where substrate availability for algal colonization is high, but that it may still facilitate coral recovery over time. Thus, a large algal biomass may not necessarily indicate a reef beyond the possibility of recovery.At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Accepted. Paper 4: Manuscript. Paper 5: Manuscript.
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Westmacott, Rachel Susan. "Integrated coastal management in the tropics : identifying the impediments and evaluating management tools." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/705.
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Tropical coastal resources including coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds are some of the most productive ecosystems in the World. They support a variety of goods and services that may often form the backbone of the local community. In many cases they provide the main source of food, as well as providing employment and recreation opportunities. However, coastal ecosystems are increasingly under threat from high population growth rates, rapid coastal development, over exploitation of the resources, loss of critical habitats and vulnerability to natural hazards. These tropical ecosystems are sensitive and vulnerable to damage and environmental change. Their worldwide loss has led to cause for concern and widespread calls for improved management. Integrated coastal management (ICM) is seen as the way forward in dealing with this complex mix of interests, activities and demands being placed on today's coastal zones. The definition of the coastal zone will vary between locations, ideally capturing and enabling the resolution of all major coastal issues, reaching as far inland or seaward as is required to reach the goals and objectives of the management programme. ICM encompasses the management of all aspects of the coastal zone taking a multi-disciplinary approach. It includes the management of existing economic activities, planned developments, natural resource conservation and utilisation as well as being able to deal with the different user conflicts. ICM involves the integration of different institutions and stakeholder groups at and across the local to international management levels. Even though ICM efforts are increasing, there are few examples where it is really being implemented and working effectively. In this study, three ICM case studies identified similar patterns of impediments although their scope was recognised as too narrow to make generalisations. As a result, a survey was developed to build up a broader picture of the issues blocking the development of successful ICM at several locations. The survey identified the current status of ICM in the tropics and identified the main impediments to implementing effective ICM. The survey found that few locations were actually implementing, monitoring and evaluating ICM, however a number were in the process of it. It was the step between analysis and implementation that was halting many of these efforts. Tropical coastal zones can be seen to share a number of common challenges exacerbated by poverty and conflicts between coastal users. Conflict management needs to be incorporated into the management process in a way that pays particular attention to the over-extraction of resources and destructive resource use. Although the concept of integrated coastal management (ICM) has been identified as the way to deal with the multiple objectives, interests and uses of the coastal zone, in practice it is a complex process and many countries are having difficulty in implementing ICM. The most common impediments to ICM in the tropics were identified through the survey as were their impact on implementing ICM. The extent to which ICM is achieved can be linked to the impediments, described by a series of criteria, which could be used in assessing the ability of an area to implement ICM as well as identifying priority areas for concern. The results show that although public participation is commonly accepted as a major part of ICM and is one of the main impediments, it is rarely fully realised. Gaining political support and empowering agencies with sufficient authority to enforce ICM were also identified as major impediments, without which ICM efforts may well be blocked. Decision making for integrated coastal managementin volves multiple decision makers and multiple stakeholders, often with conflicting needs and interests. Decision support systems (DSS) can be developed to improve our understanding of the inter-relationships between the natural and socioeconomic variables and hence result in improved decision making. The question is whether this decision making environment is actually too complex for the development of useful and useable decision support systems. An ICM-DSS needs to be able to involve multiple decision makers and take into consideration multiple issues. This requires different disciplines to be drawn together into an integrated modelling framework. There are many techniques available to deal with different modelling needs, the constraints of inadequate data and the multi-objective decision making environment. There are also different ways of developing decision support systems and each can play a different, but nonthe- less important role within ICM. Three coastal DSSs were evaluated in terms of their design and roles in integrated coastal management and are used to evaluate the potential to develop ICM-DSSs. One of these DSSs, CORAL, is examined in detail as a case study. The model is an example of an integrated ICM model where the final result is a score-card of criteria that measure economic, environmental, social and institutional objectives. CORAL was developed for the island of Curacao in the Caribbean and the Republic of the Maldives. The development process involved stakeholder meetings and interviews to ensure that all their interests and concerns in the coastal zone were accounted for and included in the DSS. The model development was carried out in the Netherlands and on return was presented to the stakeholder groups. A second phase of the project in Curacao allowed the model to be installed on a wide number of computers. An ICM course was established as well as individual training given to the stakeholder groups involved. However, the final use of the DSS was still limited. Lessons are drawn from the CORAL experience that may assist in the development of future DSSs such as the need to involve a key organisation in the development and enable them to continue its development and maintenance after the end of the project. In addition, flexibility, adaptability and update-ability are paramount if the system is to be used beyond educational goals. The impact of ICM on a coastal system is not always readily measured and quantified, least of all in monetary terms. Economic valuation is being increasingly applied to tropical coastal ecosystems to assess their benefits in monetary terms. From the point of view of ICM, economic valuation could give monetary values to, for example, changes in production resulting from management and hence highlights the importance of management. Likewise, it can highlight the costs of inaction by quantifying the benefits of a situation with ICM and one without ICM. This not only requires the ability to link monetary values to certain environmental situations but also to model the potential changes in goods and services provided by the ecosystem as a result of management. Past analyses in ICM have often focused on the costs of management versus economic gains while change to the environment has been measured in physical terms. Economic valuation provides a potential to compare like with like and hence bring the importance of ecosystems, such as coral reefs, to the fore. Some goods provided by these coastal ecosystems are marketed and consequently have a marketdefined value associated with them. However, these ecosystems also provide a number of non-use benefits, which are not directly marketed and as a result, certain economic techniques have been developed to deal with these issues. The contingent valuation methodology (CVM) was developed as a tool to measure non-marketed goods and services of ecosystems so they can be included into costbenefit analyses. However, it is a complex technique surrounded by much controversy.
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Hawkins, Julie P. "Impacts and management of fisheries and tourism on Caribbean coral reefs." Thesis, University of York, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.423840.
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Norström, Albert. "Upholding the coral loop : Resilience, alternative stable states and feedbacks in coral reefs." Doctoral thesis, Stockholms universitet, Systemekologiska institutionen, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-34037.
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Coral reefs are suffering unprecedented declines in coral cover and species diversity. These changes are often associated with substantial shifts in community structure to new dominant organisms. Ultimately, these “phase shifts” can be persistent and very difficult to return from. Building insurance against degradation and decreasing the likelihood of reefs undergoing shifts to undesirable states will require sustainable management practices that uphold coral reef resilience. This thesis consists of five papers that contribute new knowledge useful for managing the resilience of coral reefs, and other marine ecosystems. Paper I shows how the morphology of natural substrate (dead coral colonies) can significantly influence coral recruitment patterns. Paper II focuses on larval lipid levels, a key determinant of coral dispersal potential, in a common Caribbean coral (Favia fragum). It shows that i) lipid levels exhibit a significant, non-linear reduction throughout the larval release period of F. fragum and ii) exposure to a common pollutant (copper) could potentially lead to a more rapid lipid consumption in the larvae. Paper III presents a broader analysis of the different undesirable states a coral reef can shift to as a consequence of reef degradation. It concludes that different states are caused by different driving factors and that management must explicitly acknowledge this. Paper IV proposes a suite of resilience indicators that can help managers assess when a coral-dominated reef might be moving towards a shift to an undesirable state. These indicators capture key-processes occuring on different temporal and spatial scales and signal resilience loss early enough for managers to take appropriate measures. Finally, Paper V reviews the feedback loops that reinforce the undesirable states of five important marine ecosystems and suggests certain strategies that can ease the restoration back to healthier conditions. Managing these critical feedbacks will recquire monitoring the processes underpinning these feedbacks, breaking already established feedbacks loops through large-scale management trials and acknowledging transdisciplinary solutions that move management beyond the discipline of ecologyAt the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Submitted. Paper 5: In progress.
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Williams, Ivor D. "Macroalgal domination of Caribbean coral reefs : influences of herbivores, space availability and management." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.323484.
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