Unexpected relationships between coral reef health and socio-economic pressures in the Philippines: reefbase/RAMP applied

2000 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard B. Pollnac ◽  
John W. McManus ◽  
A. E. del Rosario ◽  
A. A. Banzon ◽  
S. G. Vergara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Anthropogenic Effects ◽  
Fishing Pressure ◽  
Resource Poor ◽  
Reef Health

The paper analyses variables hypothesized to affect the health of coral reefs. These variables include fishing pressure as measured by fisher density and land-based human activities as indicated by population, relative wealth, waste disposal and aspects of land use. Findings indicating that the healthiest coral reef areas are characterized by higher fisher densities as well as greater increases in population density were, at first, surprising. In retrospect, the results fit perfectly with human ecological theory; where possible, people tend to migrate from resource-poor to resource-rich areas. Any synchronic analyses of the interrelationships between the condition of aresource and associated population size or density will probably be confounded by the dynamics of the populations dependent on the resource. Hence, there is a need to account for this dynamic when researching anthropogenic effects on coral reefs. The findings also indicate that less-healthy reefs are found in areas with a higher percentage of land devoted to permanent crops; this appears to be related to observed high levels of runoff from permanent crops.

scholarly journals Status of Coral Reefs in the Water of Spermonde, Makassar, South Sulawesi

2021 ◽  
Vol 324 ◽  
pp. 03007
Author(s):  
Ni Wayan Purnama Sari ◽  
Rikoh Manogar Siringoringo ◽  
Muhammad Abrar ◽  
Risandi Dwirama Putra ◽  
Raden Sutiadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Health Index ◽  
Point Count ◽  
Live Coral Cover ◽  
Reef Health ◽  
Index Value

Observations of the condition of coral reefs have been carried out in Spermonde waters from 2015 to 2018. The method used in this observation uses Underwater Photo Transect (UPT), and the data obtained is analyzed using CPCe (Coral Point Count with Excel Extensions) software. The results show that the percentage of coral cover has increased from year to year. The percentage of live coral cover in 2015 was 19.64%, 23.60 in 2016, 23.72% in 2017, and 27.83% in 2018. The increase in live coral cover from year to year is thought to occur due to the availability of nutrients. or increasing public awareness, considering this location is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Makassar. Coral reef health index values can be used to classify coral reef health. Through the analysis of the coral reef health index, an index value of 4 was obtained, which means that the condition of the coral reefs is in the “moderate” category.

scholarly journals KONDISI TERUMBU KARANG PULAU MANTEHAGE KABUPATEN MINAHASA UTARA PROVINSI SULAWESI UTARA

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 208
Author(s):  
Ardy Kase ◽  
Indri Manembu ◽  
Joshian Schaduw
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Good Condition ◽  
Digital Camera ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Point Count ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Reef Health ◽  
Moderate Condition

Coral reefs are coastal ecosystems with the highest level of diversity. Corals are invertebrates that are included in the Phylum Coelenterata (hollow animal) or Cnidaria. Whereas coral reefs are a collection of millions of polyps. Natural phenomena and various anthropogenic activities threaten the health and presence of Mantehage Island coral reefs and the lack of information about the health conditions of coral reefs on Mantehage Island. The purpose of this study is to determine the condition of coral reefs andto  provide baselines data on Mantehage Island. Data collection was done by using UPT  method (Underwater Photo Transect). Underwater Photo Transect carried out by underwater shooting using a digital camera that was shielded (housing). Image analysis were done using the CPCe software (Coral Point Count with Excel extensions). The results of coral reef health conditions at four stations on Mantehage Island shows, coral reef cover at each station as follows, station 1 (one) 53.00% were in good condition, station 2 (two) 25.40% were in a moderate condition, station 3 (three) 16.49% were in poor condition, and station 4 (four) 42.07% were in a moderate condition. From the four stations, the condition of Mantehage Island's coral reefs were in the moderate category with a percentage of 34.24%.Keywords:. Mantehage Island, Terumbu Karang, UPT, CPCe

Reef Foraminifera As Bioindicator Of Coral Reef Health in Pulau Tioman, Pahang, Malaysia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aishah Norashikin Abdul A’ziz ◽  
Fatin Izzati Minhat ◽  
Pan Hui-Juan ◽  
Hasrizal Shaari ◽  
Wan Nurzalia Wan Saelan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Coastal Development ◽  
Assessment And Monitoring ◽  
Reef Recovery ◽  
Reef Health ◽  
Coral Reef Area ◽  
Reduced Water

Abstract Pulau Tioman is one of the famous tourism islands in Peninsular Malaysia due to the beautiful terrestrial and coral reefs ecosystem. This study aims to assess and monitor the health of coral reef sites surrounding Pulau Tioman based on the application of Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring (FORAM) Index. A total of ten selected sampling sites from west and east side of Pulau Tioman were setup in front of the major beach areas around Pulau Tioman. At each site, 100 m transect was laid out from shore towards the reef slope and surface sediment samples were collected at 50 m intervals. Eight orders, 41 families, 80 genera and 161 species of benthic foraminifera were identified around Pulau Tioman. Amphistegina lessonii found to be the most dominant species and the least dominant species (< 4%) are Bolivina vadescens, Elphidium neosimplex, Heterolepa dutemplei, Heterolepa subhaidingerii, Mikrobelodontos bradyi, Milliolinella suborbicularis, Operculina discoidalis, Parahourinoides fragillissimus, Quinqueloculina incisa, Quinqueloculina sulcate, Triloculinella bertheliniana and Triloculinella parisa. The highest and lowest numbers of species was recorded at station J3 and station F3. The agglutinated type of foraminifera contributed between 2–8% of the total assemblages. Meanwhile, calcareous hyaline and porcelaneous group represent 79% and 19% of total assemblages respectively. Based on the functional groups, symbiont-bearing taxa were the most common foraminiferal found in most of the stations. The present study indicates that majority of sampling sites around Pulau Tioman are conducive for coral reef growth and could recover from any future bleaching events or temporary damage in the ecosystem. However, several areas with higher coastal development and tourism activities has reduced water quality (FI < 4) and chances of better reef recovery. Thus, the number of visitors and tourists should be revised in order to produce a better condition for coral reefs to grow. This assumption is based on the established results of the FORAM index. Thus, we suppose that FORAM index could be used together with coral reef health index in other reef ecosystems around Malaysia to determine the condition and status of coral reef area.

scholarly journals Fish and Fisheries of the Eastern Coast of Mexico, with Emphasis on Coral Reef Species

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos González-Gándara ◽  
Ernesto A. Chávez
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Fishing Pressure ◽  
Current Yield ◽  
Differential Abundance ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Reef Zone ◽  
Different Levels

The state on knowledge of fish communities associated with coral reefs of the southern Gulf of Mexico (Veracruz, Campeche bank), and eastern Yucatan on the Caribbean is reviewed, in addition to a description of the main fisheries of the area. The review includes coral reef fish of Veracruz, the Campeche Bank, and reefs running along the Caribbean coast up to the border with Belize. Data recorded suggest that the heterogeneity of different levels (region, reef and reef zone) may be responsible for a larger number of niches available, promoting higher specific diversity that is more evident in the Caribbean reefs. The environmental conditions create patterns of differential abundance among the three zones. The main regional fisheries include more than 60 species and the current yield suggests a 30% reduction compared to catch volumes recorded a few years ago. The changes in coral coverage and the fishing pressure over coral reefs have exerted effects on species of fishing importance.

scholarly journals Ascidians Outbreak: A Threat For Coral Reefs in Panjang Island, Jepara

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwi Haryanti ◽  
Diah Permata Wijayanti ◽  
Bambang Yulianto ◽  
Mada Triandala Sibero ◽  
Lutfillah Arief Ghinaa Shabrina
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Dead Coral ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
High Sedimentation ◽  
Reef Health

Eutrophication and sedimentation have become a major threat to coral reefs in nearby areas with anthropogenic activities. These threats are often accompanied by shifting ecosystems from coral-rich to fast-growing algae-dominated water, and high prevalence of coral disease. In Panjang Island, Jepara, we observed the outbreak of photosynthetic ascidians along with a high sedimentation at the eastern part of the island. The ascidians were seen overgrowing most substrates including corals, macroalgae, dead-coral-algae, and rubbles in April to May 2019. In July and August 2019, observation and data collection using quadrant transect were conducted to monitor the outbreak. The result showed that ascidians were still present in the area, despite becoming pale and smaller. This report shows that the outbreak of these photosynthetic ascidians was not persistent, however, the effect on coral reef health should not be overlooked.

scholarly journals A Plot for Sustainability – The Sustainable Development Goals as A Narrative

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
David O. Obura
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Reef Health

The Sustainable Development Goals, while complex at first sight, express a simple narrative about the relationships between people and nature. This paper illustrates this in the context of a coral reef land or seascape supporting coastal people. Coral reefs, their health described by measures of coral and fish diversity and abundance, provide key services and benefits to people. These services directly support 10s of millions of jobs in multiple economic sectors in coastal and distant states, protect and harbor communities and cities across tropical coastlines, sustain use of living and non-living resources, provide transport infrastructure and valuable natural products, and in future may provide energy solutions. Through these multiple benefits, coral reefs contribute to reducing hunger and poverty, thus improving health, and potentially strengthening gender and social equality. However, access and use result in pressures that may drive decline in coral reef health. Broader land and seascape factors also affect reef health, including land-use change and altered freshwater flows, as well as climate change. Managing this complex system requires appropriate awareness and knowledge, governance mechanisms and investments by stakeholders. This narrative can be used from local to global levels, motivating actions and policy at and across these scales to sustain ecosystem function and use, for the oceans what is also increasingly called a blue economy.

Coral Reefs

Ecology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Knowlton
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Ocean Warming ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Rain Forests ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Western Atlantic

Coral reefs are the most diverse of marine ecosystems, with hundreds of thousands if not millions of species associated with reefs. For this reason they are often called the rain forests of the sea, and as such they have been of interest not only to marine scientists but also to ecologists and evolutionary biologists broadly. The center of reef diversity is the Indo-West Pacific, especially the “coral triangle,” comprised of the island-rich waters of Southeast Asia (e.g., Indonesia and the Philippines). The next most extensive area of reef building and reef diversity is in the tropical western Atlantic. In the early 21st century most reefs are built primarily by stony corals in the order Scleractinia (phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa), but large stony structures have in the past been built by microbes, clams, and other organisms. Coral reefs are dynamic structures that are constantly being both built by the skeletons of corals and other organisms, on the one hand, and broken down into rubble and sand, on the other. The ability of corals to outpace the destructive forces of storms and bioeroders is due to their symbiosis with single-celled algal symbionts in their tissues. These zooxanthellae (a diverse group of dinoflagellates once thought to be a single species) transfer some of the products of their photosynthesis to their coral hosts, which in return provide the zooxanthellae with nutrients. Also like rain forests, coral reef ecosystems are highly threatened around the world, and many have been substantially affected by humans for centuries. Local impacts, such as habitat destruction, overfishing, pollution, and invasive species, have been joined by the global impacts of ocean warming and acidification. The result has been that many coral reefs have been taken over by macroalgae or other space occupiers that grow faster than corals and are less sensitive to stressors associated with human activities. Coral disease, which is increasing due to warming and pollution, and coral bleaching, caused primarily by ocean warming, are now important causes of coral mortality. Overall, about one-half of all living coral may already have been lost, and one-third of all coral species are now deemed to be at risk of extinction; this places them on par with the most endangered terrestrial organisms. Because carbon dioxide emissions are continuing to rise, the best hopes in the short term for conserving and restoring coral reefs involve reducing local stressors. Measures to improve water quality and reduce overfishing (particularly of herbivores) are critical components of coral reef management strategies. However, reducing carbon dioxide emissions will be essential for the long-term survival of coral reefs.

scholarly journals Coral Reef Monitoring: From Cytological Parameters to Community Indices

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ofer Ben-Tzvi ◽  
Mohammad Al-Zibdah ◽  
Vladimir Bresler ◽  
Yousef Jamal ◽  
Avigdor Abelson
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Environmental Stressors ◽  
Artificial Reefs ◽  
Health State ◽  
Reef Community ◽  
Reef Health ◽  
Ecological Parameters ◽  
Natural Reefs ◽  
Practical Implications

Sound-ecosystem-based management of coral reefs is largely based on indicators of reef health state. Currently there are various ecological parameters that serve as reef state indices; however, their practical implications are under debate. In the present study we examine an alternative parameter, the deterioration index (DI), which does not purport to replace the traditional indices but can provide a reliable, stand-alone indication of reef state. Patterns of cytological indices, which are considered as reliable indicators of environmental stressors, have been compared to ten selected reef community indices. The DI showed the highest correlations among community indices to the cytological indices in artificial reefs and high correlation in natural reefs as well. Our results suggest that in cases of lacking adequate monitoring abilities where a full set of community indices cannot be obtained, the DI can serve in many cases as the preferred, stand-alone indicator of coral reef state.

scholarly journals Environmental Impact of Land-use Changes and Soil Loss on Coastal Coral Reef Cover: Study Case in the Small Tropical Island, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asep Mulyono ◽  
Muhammad Rahman Djuwansah ◽  
Ida Narulita ◽  
Risandi Dwirama Putra ◽  
Dewi Surinati
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Average Percentage ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Soil Sediment ◽  
Port Construction

Abstract Over 24% of coral reefs in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, experience damage from development in coastal areas by coastal construction, land conversion, beach nourishment, and port construction. The rapid economic development activities around the coast of Bintan Island impact the extraction of natural resources and reduction of the coral reefs cover. A comprehensive study to determine the temporal change in land use and estimate the rate of soil loss and its effects on coral reef cover is needed. There has been a change in land use for five years (2014-2018) on the east coast of Bintan Island, and the average percentage of coral reef cover is in the fair category (<50%). The land-use changes have resulted in soil loss that varies each year. Apart from land-use changes, the factor of rainfall is one of the causes of soil loss. Soil loss is generated from cultivated lands due to the lack of conservation techniques. In east Bintan island, mixed garden, plantation, and bare land area with dense canopy cover contributed increasing of soil loss. The contribution of soil loss to hard coral reefs as a result of land use changes from high to low is soil erosion > soil sediment > surface run-off.

scholarly journals The Invisible Threat: How Microplastics Endanger Corals

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Bednarz ◽  
Miguel Leal ◽  
Eric Béraud ◽  
Joana Ferreira Marques ◽  
Christine Ferrier-Pagès
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Internal Damage ◽  
Nutritious Food ◽  
False Sense ◽  
Waves And Currents ◽  
Reef Health ◽  
The Invisible

Coral reefs are one of the most endangered habitats due to climate change, but not enough attention has been paid to how plastic pollution affects coral reef health. Plastics are massively produced worldwide for many purposes and they degrade very slowly, breaking down into tiny, invisible particles of 5 mm or less, called microplastics. When these tiny particles reach coral reefs, they harm corals by constantly rubbing on them through the action of waves and currents. Corals may also ingest microplastics and get a false sense of “fullness,” which results in the coral not feeding on nutritious food. Within the coral, microplastics may block the gut and cause internal damage. Also, microplastics, which are already made of chemicals, can pick up pollutants and harmful microorganisms from the seawater and transfer them to the coral. A reduction of microplastics pollution is therefore urgent.

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