1. Assessing relative resilience potential of coral reefs to inform management
- Author
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Serge Planes, Steven Johnson, Jeffrey Maynard, Steven C. McKagan, Elizabeth Mcleod, Peter Houk, Laurie J. Raymundo, Scott F. Heron, Matt Kendall, Dieter Tracey, Gabby N. Ahmadia, Ruben van Hooidonk, Gareth J. Williams, Lyza Johnston, Centre de recherches insulaires et observatoire de l'environnement (CRIOBE), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL (LabEX CORAIL), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université des Antilles et de la Guyane (UAG)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Université de la Polynésie Française (UPF)-Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (UNC)-Institut d'écologie et environnement-Université des Antilles (UA), SymbioSeas, Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFC), NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Marine Laboratory, University of Guam, Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), WWF, Macaulay Institute, School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), National Ocean Service (NOS), Marine Geophysical Laboratory, James Cook University (JCU), NOAA Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR), NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), Coral Reef Watch, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS), University of Miami [Coral Gables]-University of Miami [Coral Gables], The Nature Conservancy, Inconnu, Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université des Antilles et de la Guyane (UAG)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE)
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0106 biological sciences ,Coral reefs ,Environmental management ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Vulnerability ,01 natural sciences ,Ecological resilience ,Climate change ,Ecosystem ,14. Life underwater ,Resilience (network) ,Reef ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Spatial planning ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Nature and Landscape Conservation ,geography ,Connectivity ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,business.industry ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Environmental resource management ,Coral reef ,Fisheries management ,[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology ,business - Abstract
International audience; Ecological resilience assessments are an important part of resilience-based management (RBM) and can help prioritize and target management actions. Use of such assessments has been limited due to a lack of clear guidance on the assessment process. This study builds on the latest scientific advances in RBM to provide that guidance from a resilience assessment undertaken in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). We assessed spatial variation in ecological resilience potential at 78 forereef sites near the populated islands of the CNMI: Saipan, Tinian/Aguijan, and Rota. The assessments are based on measuring indicators of resilience processes and are combined with information on anthropogenic stress and larval connectivity. We find great spatial variation in relative resilience potential with many high resilience sites near Saipan (5 of 7) and low resilience sites near Rota (7 of 9). Criteria were developed to identify priority sites for six types of management actions (e.g., conservation, land-based sources of pollution reduction, and fishery management and enforcement) and 51 of the 78 sites met at least one of the sets of criteria. The connectivity simulations developed indicate that Tinian and Aguijan are each roughly 10 × the larvae source that Rota is and twice as frequent a destination. These results may explain the lower relative resilience potential of Rota reefs and indicates that actions in Saipan and Tinian/Aguijan will be important to maintaining supply of larvae. The process we describe for undertaking resilience assessments can be tailored for use in coral reef areas globally and applied to other ecosystems.
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