BACKGROUND
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Examples of Human Factors Affecting Worldwide
Decline of Corals
• Overfishing
• Nutrient over-enrichment
• Increased sedimentation
• Population increases
• Shoreline development
• Trampling by tourists
• Ship groundings
• Destructive fishing methods
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Coral reefs are one of the most valuable and spectacular environments on
earth, and are one of the most productive and diverse marine ecosystems. U.S.
coral reefs are valuable assets that contribute to a healthy economy by providing
food, jobs, and protection from storms. Reefs create habitat for many fish
and related species with commercial and recreational value. They support tourism
and recreational industries by providing diving and snorkeling destinations,
as well as sheltering beaches from the effects of storm activity. Coral reef
related activities provide a significant economic benefit for many regions
of the United States and the rest of the world.
Scientific evidence indicates that coral reefs are deteriorating rapidly
worldwide. Symptoms of this decline include the loss of hard corals, an increased
abundance of algae, and a dramatic increase in bleaching episodes and disease
outbreaks. Scientists and managers still lack critical information about the
underlying mechanisms of many of the causes of coral decline. Human impacts
act separately and in combination with natural factors such as hurricanes,
high water temperature, and disease to stress corals and degrade reef systems.
As
an island state, the length of the Hawai'ian Archipelago from South Point
on the island of Hawai'i to the western-most point on Kure Atoll is approximately
2,579 kilometers. Hawai'i hosts extensive reef ecosystems. Hawai'i's reefs
comprise over 80 percent of all such ecosystems under U.S. jurisdiction. The
state's coral reef ecosystems have over 5,000 known species of marine plants
and animals, of which about 25% are endemic. Besides their vast coverage throughout
the state, these coral reef ecosystems are culturally, economically, and biologically
critical to Hawai'i's future. Areas of intensified land and human uses are
expanding, resulting in adverse impacts to the reefs, including sedimentation,
eutrophication, and pollution. The effects of overfishing and algal growth
further compound these adverse impacts. As a result, there is a need to strengthen
resource management capacity to ensure the sustainability of Hawai'i's coral
reef ecosystems.
APPROACH
The Hawaii
Coral Reef Initiative Research Program (HCRI-RP) of the University of
Hawai'i was established in 1998 to investigate and recommend methods to mitigate
threats to the health of Hawai'is reef ecosystems. To accomplish this, HCRI-RP
sponsors research and monitoring activities that provide information to better
manage Hawai'i's extensive reef ecosystems. With this program, managers can
use new scientific information and tools to conserve this valuable resource.
The Coastal Ocean Program (COP) continues to support HCRI-RP, now beginning
its fifth year of operation. The HCRI-RP is a major research and monitoring
program that involves extensive collaboration between scientists from universities,
non-profit organizations, and resource management agencies to develop strategies
to protect healthy reefs and, where possible, to reverse its degradation.
Through sponsored projects, HCRI-RP complements the mission of NOAA and priorities
of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, and the research goals and objectives in
the Coral Reef and Marine Conservation Act of 2000. Results will greatly improve
the management and health of Hawai'i's reefs and provide knowledge that can
be extrapolated to other regions across the Pacific.
HCRI-RP strives to strengthen the partnership between academic researchers
and resource managers to improve reef management. HCRI-RP's primary emphasis
is to foster research that supports resource managers as they make and defend
informed decisions. Therefore, the Hawai'i Coral Reef Initiative Research
Program is managed by a dynamic partnership between the University of Hawai'i
and the State's Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Aquatic
Resources. Main collaborators include the Pacific Science Association, Bishop
Museum, and the Hawai'i Nature Conservancy.
In FY2003, the HCRI-RP will have a major focus on alien and invasive algae
and invertebrates within the main Hawaiian Islands. One project will do a
comprehensive survey of coral reefs to detect the presence of non-indigenous
marine invertebrates, assess the impact and potential threats to native reef
species, and determine the need, if any, for management intervention. A second
project will focus on potential mechanisms for the introduction of marine
alien species through hull fouling and to propose solutions to the problem.
Investigators will determine the feasibility of using a native sea urchin
as a biological control agent to reduce the disturbance and abundance of alien
and nuisance algae on reefs in Kane'ohe Bay. Improving understanding of population
structure and recruitment of keystone reef organisms is another FY2003 priority,
in order to design ecologically effective MPA's. At present, the basic knowledge
of reef organisms' population structure is inadequate to design a management
regime that would improve the sustainability of important organisms, including
fish, corals, and algae in ecosystems across the main Hawaiian Islands. In
particular, scientists and managers do not know where reproduction and recruitment
takes place for most of Hawai'i's keystone organisms and the basic biology
of many species of Hawaiian algae is not known. The third priority for FY2003
is research on anthropogenic impacts on coral reef ecosystems against the
background of natural variability and to develop methods to detect these changes.
Please visit the HCRI-RP website: www.hawaii.edu/ssri/hcri.
For more information, contact:
Mike Dowgiallo
CSCOR/Coastal Ocean Program
phone: 301-713-3338
e-mail: coastalocean@noaa.gov
Last Updated:
May 15, 2003
