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  EurekAlert 22 Jun 06
World's coral reefs left vulnerable by paper parks
Dalhousie University

EurekAlert 22 Jun 06
Marine protected areas not sufficient to protect global biodiversity
University of Auckland

PlanetArk 23 Jun 06
Only 2 Pct of Coral Reefs Properly Protected - Study
Story by Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent

OSLO - Less than 2 percent of the world's tropical coral reefs are properly protected from illegal fishing, mining or pollution despite government promises of wider safeguards, an international study showed on Thursday.

"The figures are depressing," said Camilo Mora, a scientist at Dalhousie University in Canada and lead author of the study, carried out in New Zealand by researchers from seven nations.

"Many countries create marine protected areas and then forget about them," he told Reuters of the findings, published in the journal Science.

Lack of protection may mean a further shrinking of reefs worldwide, from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean. Reefs are key spawning grounds, are home to species from clown fish to sharks, protect coasts from erosion and also draw scuba-diving tourists.

"Less than 2 percent are extended protection complete with regulations on extraction, poaching and other major threats," the report said.

Overall, 18.7 percent of the area covered by tropical reefs was within marine protected areas -- but most of the conservation was only on paper. "Lines on the map are not enough to protect the world's coral reefs," Mora said.

Many governments have promised wider conservation of nature from reefs to rainforests, partly to help meet a UN goal of slowing an accelerating rate of species loss by 2012.

"While management (of marine protected areas) varies worldwide, it was particularly low in areas of high coral density such as the Indo-Pacific and the Caribbean," said Ransom Myers, a researcher at Dalhousie University.

The study did not name the nations performing worst or best in reef protection. Mora said, however, that Australia had successfully increased protection for much of the Great Barrier Reef.

The scientists reached their figures by building a database of protected areas from 102 countries then comparing it with the extent of reefs, partly mapped by satellites. They then surveyed more than 1,000 managers of protected areas and scientists to gauge the conservation performance.

EurekAlert 22 Jun 06
World's coral reefs left vulnerable by paper parks
Dalhousie University

Highly protected coral reefs just 2% of world total: Scientists

Of the 18.7% of tropical coral reefs that lie within "Marine Protected Areas," less than 2% are extended protection complete with regulations on extraction, poaching and other major threats, according to an analysis published in Science Magazine on June 23.

The research represents the first global assessment of the extent, effectiveness and gaps in coverage of coral reefs by MPAs. The team built a database of MPAs for 102 countries, including satellite imagery of reefs worldwide, and surveyed more than 1,000 MPA managers and scientists to determine the conservation performance of MPAs.

The analysis assesses protection afforded to coral reefs from such threats as resource extraction, poaching, pollution, coastal development and overfishing. It also took account of such factors as MPA size and distances to neighboring protected areas.

"Although coral reefs are declining worldwide, actions to reverse such a crisis are woefully inadequate in most countries," says Dr. Camilo Mora, a scientist at Dalhousie University and lead author of the study.

"Clearly, lines on the map are not enough to protect the world's coral reefs."

The authors recommend that protected areas need to be enforced to prevent poaching and should be expanded to include the management of external threats. Furthermore, the authors suggest MPAs should be bigger and linked to other protected areas to be more effective.

"The future of coral reefs worldwide relies on countries and conservation agencies seriously embracing these objectives," adds Dr. Mora. "We were expecting a poor result, but not numbers of this magnitude," adds co-author Dr. Mark A. Costello of the University of Auckland.

"This study of protected areas worldwide suggests we are not reaping their potential positive benefits and stemming the current decline of coral reefs worldwide." "What we found, in essence, is that we are creating paper parks," explains co-author and fellow researcher Ransom Myers of Dalhousie University.

"The establishment of Marine Protected Areas is rarely followed by good management and enforcement. And while management of MPAs varies worldwide, it was particularly low in areas of high coral diversity such as the Indo-Pacific and the Caribbean."

"This new study combines a simple approach with detailed large-scale databases to provide the first such global assessment of biodiversity protection," says co-author Dr. Serge Andréfouët, a scientist with the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement in New Caledonia.

"We lack similar global assessment for other marine habitats, including kelp forests, seagrass beds, and deep-sea corals; but we have no reason to believe these may be better protected than tropical coral reefs."

"This paper is a wake-up call," says Dr. Peter Sale, Assistant Director of the United Nations University's International Network on Water in Canada and a University of Windsor professor. "It reminds us that despite recent successes in protecting coral reefs, our actions to date fall far short of what is required to save these most diverse of all marine habitats."

EurekAlert 22 Jun 06
Marine protected areas not sufficient to protect global biodiversity
University of Auckland

Research undertaken at The University of Auckland, and published in the prestigious USA journal Science, shows that the protection of marine habitats is ineffectively managed worldwide to retain biodiversity, and that many so-called "Marine Protected Areas" are under threat from external sources.

Only 2% of the world's tropical coral reefs are being safeguarded by Marine Protected Areas; places where some restriction is placed on human activities within the area.

However, less than 0.01% of the world's coral reefs are protected from over-harvesting, poaching, siltation, nutrient enrichment and pollution.

No global region currently protects more than 10% of its coral reefs adequately, with reefs in the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean remaining particularly vulnerable.

New Zealand is world-leading in protecting marine life, with over 50 Marine Protected Areas including 30 "no-take" marine reserves. The first marine reserve in New Zealand was created beside the University of Auckland's Leigh Marine Laboratory, where the new study took place.

The new research shows that 40% of marine protected areas are smaller than 1-2km2, an insufficient size to protect large fish and other animals. These animals, which are of particular interest to fishermen, tend to move large distances, spending significant time beyond the protected borders and therefore can be lost to harvesting.

The study recommends that each Marine Protected Area be 10-20 km in diameter to protect species that need large areas of habitat, and similarly spaced to ensure genetic exchange between areas. This would require the protection of only 25 590 km2, or about 5% of the world's coral reefs.

"Coral reefs are treasures of global diversity but are in jeopardy because of human threats" says Dr Camilo Mora, the Census of Marine Life scientist who led the study. "Unfortunately, actions to reverse such a crisis were very inadequate in most countries. We found that although about 19% of the world's coral reefs were within designated protected areas, only 0.01 to 2% of the world's reefs were really protected."

"Marine protected areas are the prime strategy for the conservation of coral reefs and other marine habitats worldwide" says Dr Mark Costello of the University's Leigh Marine Laboratory.

"For instance, we know that when Marine Protected Areas are managed as no-take reserves, the result is more natural species abundances and food webs – evident as larger population and body sizes of fish and crayfish, and higher production of their young."
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