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    Healthy Reefs for Healthy People 2010 Report Card, mesoamerican reef health indicators

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    Healthy Reefs for Healthy People 2010 Report Card, mesoamerican reef health indicators

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    3 views23 pages

    Healthy Reefs Iniciative 2010 Report Card

    Uploaded by

    Crystal Vance Guerra
    Healthy Reefs for Healthy People 2010 Report Card, mesoamerican reef health indicators

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 23
    Card 2010 WHAT'S INSIDE Thee 2010 Repent Card highlights thece focal sections «4a assessment on the current state of the Reefi an update on ‘enisting and emerging threats to reef health; and a sample ‘of storics af hope and nceded actions to foster healthy reefs and heal people, A. synopsis of key findings is presented up froal in the “Taking StoeK" seetion, First, this report cand begins with a re- examination of the Indicators of Reef Health It reviews the indicators that constitute the Healthy Reef Index as well as the grading cimeria and threshold values for these indicators. New data collected in 2009 at 50 core sites are compared to data collected in 2006 to show change since the last Report Card, The two-page layout map provides a visual sunamary of the regional health data. A historical look at selected reefs with Song term data is presented to underscore the degree and concern of coral reef decline. This report card does not contain new socioeconomic data because the results of the 2010 censuses were ‘ot avallable at the time of compilation HEALTHY REEFS FOR HEALTHY PEOPLE Healthy Reefs for Healthy People (HRI) is a collaborative international initiative that generates user-friendly tools to measure, track, and report oa the health of the Mesoamerican Reef Ecosystems (MAR). It includes a formal partaciship of orer 30 organisations and informal collaborations with government agencies, individual selentsts, and other partners, HAI sims to improve reef manigencat and dec sustain an ly MAR eco-rrgion by: delivering, scientifically credible and respected report cards om ecosystem health and ‘encouraging the implementation of effect recommendations. In addition to the Report Cards, other HRI publications include: the 2007 Healthy Reefs for Healthy People: A Guide to Lndicators.f Reef Health aind Social Well-being ithe Mesoamerican toward 4 bealthy Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) can be quantitatively tracked and the 2008 Quick Reference ing the 20 highest priority i and graphically ilhesirating their modern baseline values against reference conditions. AIL are available oo: wiehealthyreefi. ong eG A ® THE MESOAMERICAN REEF AN INTERNATIONAL ECOREGION The spectacular Mesoumericus Reef includes the Western Heznspherés Longest barrier reef and a diverse array of ref formations Linked toprtler by comple oveasographic currents. Extending ovr 1,000 kilometers from Mezco to Hondaras, this vast complex, with lis neighhoring seagrass mcadows, decp and shulln lagoons, and coastal mangrove foersts, forms a dynamic mosaic that murturesthe Mesoumerican “boispot” of biological amd cultural diversity. “The egos terres topography includes the flat low ying areas of the Yucatan, Mexico and the dry climate, few rivers, and nique subterranean water flows of northern Belize. Farther south, the lndseape changes to tll coastal morntainss pach ore rafal ad numerous large rivers in soathern Belize, Guatemala, and Hoodures. MEXICO Locator map and derailed map of the Mewcamerican Ret Esonegicn, ‘The overall ecoregion covers approximately 464439 km’, with 192.646 km’ in weatesheds and 71771 km’ is diverse marine habitus. In sp97 the leaders of the four aations (Mesica, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras) signed the historic Tube Declaration, which pledged support for ‘conserving this shared resource. “The repo ecosomigs are highly dependent on marine resources, expecially tourism ane fabing industries, In Belize tone the reef was estimated to contribute approximately 4395 +4589 million US dollars in goods and services each year Here nore than most places, the health our people- ‘bur communities and our economies-depends on our ability to restore nurture, and maintain oar healt rei TAKING STOCK: A WORLD OF CHANGES SINCE 2008 “The last tie years have bees 2 tine of tmmemse change, At the time of launching the first Report Card in 2008, the work! was just begining to recognize the extent sod \naplications ofthe global economic crisis and the expansion ‘of the invasive lioafish inta the Messumerican Roel had not yet been documented, In May 2009, reef managers in southern Beline and Honduras were radely treakened to the wbstantal lowes of coral seed Habitat resuhing fom a major earthquake off the island of Rostan, ‘Then, in April xo. the entire woe became keenly aware ‘of the lmumediate and devastating effects oo coastal and marine evonysteens caused bythe ol ig blowout a the Gulf of Mesioo, Suddenly, oar “theeats list” expanded. As governments, civil society and the public struggle to deal wath the bardess of economic crises aad escalating crinie tnd violence, ret mounagees struggle to Keep the issue of saving our dying coral cfs on the front burner. Meare, ‘our planet’ coral reefs are on life supper and struggling to survive, as coral disease and bleaching fartber seduce coral cover and we fice possible species extinctions dive to massive coral mortality. Rampart pollution, babitat loss and increases in sea temperatre and ocean acidification -coatinwe relelesly in the shadow of a failed COP-1s that resale in no concrete peitial ation to aggressively sires the unfolding global climate change crisis STATUS: HEALTH OF THE REEF “The 2008 Mesoamerican Reef Report Card gave os our first comprcbensie look atthe health of the regis coral reef ecosystem and the impact of our management and stewardship efforts. The 2008 Report revealed thi oar once pristine ree was ow in danget. with owe than half the 326 sampled re ites in poor’ (47%) a ‘rita (6s) condition, Ye the ats reported in fair condition gave us some hope fon mecovery, and the urgency foram increase in tbe modest 6% of the Reel currently listed is good’ comic. The 2008 -cocprebxnsing ansenagnt was bane on 7 indactors of reel health combined into a single Index. Regretably, this 2010 Report Card does not describe a pattern of recovery but wae of farther decline inthe health ‘ofthe Mesoamerican Reef ~ see pages s 1-8 for details. The overall condition of the 130 Feels surveyed (and evaluated with four indicators) found an alarming 30% of reefs in “eitical ecaultion, 40% im pot, 21% in Tale 8% oo! and vs ‘very good! condition. The two Indices produce very simsilas resus. Five times as many ree(s experienced declines versusimprovensents in heal asmcasured by ity coe ites assessed in both 2008 and 2009, Regardless of which index istased the resuls clealy show nears reef deterioration and al for stronger management actions. Clearly. more of the numerous alr” condition sites have declined in coedition, signaling the reef ecosystem may be quickly approaching a -eraical tipping pole. a THREATS TO THE REEF “The list of threats 10 reef health has grams in scope and intensity. The four main threats (overfishing. coastal i inland land clearing and agriculluse, and climate change) identified in 2008 coetinie with growing intensity. Less than 1 of the fh surveyed in the MAR ‘were over 49m {16 inches! loag and sharks are now largely absent. The invasive loeah &s now virtally everywhere in the MA, shboagh efforts to conic! this exotic species are underway throughout the region, Th coustal development index for s0u0 found the amount of moditied areas increased fiom 22% to 34% of the coastal MAR. Climate Change is already impacting the ef and there is bile chance of ‘lob treaty that wil protect coral reefs. There is a growing Fisk fromm increasing interest in offshore ol development. ACTIONS TO SAFEGUARD THE REEF [Despite the intimidating threats listed above, numerous reef managensent actions are working tooverturnthe rect decline. ‘Over 40 marine and ever o-coastal protected areas are none being, managed in the MAR. While they cannot protect against all threats, MPAs do help manage many threats and help bus ecosystem resilience to other ihreats, Asone of the mast threateood and biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, ‘coral refs are now being managed with some of the same tools that have been used with terestrial endangered species for decades. Case studies highlaghting coral propagation «forts, natal ‘hope spot and comarunity enabled kocal conservation successes provide some hope in a sea of uncertainty ‘Our leaders, globally and in the MAR region, mast face the stark reality that business as usual” will ubimately result mot ‘only in the las of a magnificent marine ecosystem, but ihe loss. af incoone from tourists, enstly damage from natural disasters, and the lows of entire fis stocks that ford local people and support their livelihoods It is just this linkage between healthy reeti and healthy people (econonsis, coennsanities 40d indivsduals) that cam belp éatabyne tbe transéormational policies and actions that are required 10. save our magnificent reef. INDICATORS OF REEF HEALTH Measuring ref alth is more consplex than visting your fami physician for an annual check up, because scientists are only tone ‘beginning io develop qaustlalive indicators to evaluate reef health. tndicators are practical, qaantlaive measares of reeor buran ‘health, Theis purpose isto lp translate the abstract concept of wel-being lato sulte of tangible egorvusly defined ysaiies boy which progoess can be assessed. Siento analyze trends Oe spatial comparisos ia individual issicatoes to gaia dinsight ctr the most important variables af one site or over aa entire regio (the results are offen dependent onthe scale of be question), “The Healthy Reet or Healiyy Propde Initative ise of the frst etferts to develop measurable ranking criteria foe indicators of eet health (sce 2008 Report Card for more information see: wew healthyrects ong). The developrent of a single index vaboe Facilitates the mapping of rect health fora mare comprehensive view acron the regioa It is ur “batons lnc” of ret health, akin tothe Dane Jones Index in the stock markrt—not anexact mexsureofany particular sock, but avery useful indiatora general matket ends “The “lategrated Roef Health Index” (IRI!) used ia aur previous report card has ben siupified. The “Simplified Integrated Rect Health Index” (SIRI) was developed in order to accommodate the use of additional datasets that did net inchade all seven of the ‘original IRI sndicators In particular, coral recruitment, algal eights (nented fr the Macroalgal Index), Bindema abundance and coral disease wete not comaisteily collected al all sex The two fish indicators were replaced with sltpliied versions: hey ‘commercial species (snapper + groupes bicenass) asd key herbivores (parrottieh + ang,’ doctor fish biorsass), ‘SIMPLIFIED INTEGRATED REEF HEALTH INDEX (SIRHI) + Coral cover iss measuee ofthe proportion of ret surface covered by lve stany coral, which farm the reefs Uhre-dimenaional framework It ise most widely measured indicator. + Fleshy macroalgal cover is a measure ofthe proportion of ee surface covered by Heshy algae or “weaweed tis widely collected data along the same transects as coral covet + Herbivorous fish abundance ncusares the biomass (total weight of fish per unit arcal of sungeonfish and pare the most ingeetan sh grazers cn plantsthat. could energrentherec + Commercial fish abundance ricasures the biomass (tal weigh of fish per unit area) HOW THE GRADES ARE CALCULATED ‘The prades are calculated by converting the mean data value of each indicator into a condition ranked from one ("erica") to five ("very good), based on the daa ranges given in the table below. The developenent of the data ranges relied heavily ‘mn the experience, data, aad perspectives of the sctentfie review commsince coawened for this effort, as well a8 data from the Alluntic and Gulf Rapid Reet Assesment (AGRRA) database of over 800 Canbbean reef sites, The Mesh «over thresholds were adopted from thove being developed for the 2011 Reef @ Risk, originally developed by Reef Check. It {epeescods a compeousise positica between grading forthe ideal “pristine” reef conditices sod whot we can realistically hope: 1 achicre im modern times and conditions. ‘SIMPLIFIED INTEGRATED REEF HEALTH INDEX “Threshold vakaes by indicator foe the Single tenegraned Reel Heal Index (SHR 4378 NVOIAWVOSAW 3HL NI HLIW3H 4334 - sf ie, EOD) eo ‘ c = wr v¥ : ‘ wow “ppaareeain mS vw” i vr v ¥ ¥ *L v CHANGES IN REEF HEALTH REEF DECLINES OUTPACE IMPROVEMENTS FIVE TO ONE ‘Coral reefs naturally experince changes. ~ fish swim in and out of survey sites maceoaligae ive seasonal changes and coral cas experience rapid moetality, bu shower growth and recovery. shit in the overall Yondiion' category of amy ovef represcots a ‘more significant change. Hetween 2006 and 2009, five times as many of these significant changes in the condition of MAR reefs were declines. not improvements If this ted

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