珠江口万山群岛海域造礁石珊瑚群落分布与保护

通过2008年对珠江口万山群岛造礁石珊瑚群落结构和分布的调查研究,结合走访资料以及历史文献和数据的分析,对比了2005年佳蓬列岛造礁石珊瑚群落的调查结果,掌握了珠江口万山群岛造礁石珊瑚群落的现状,造礁石珊瑚覆盖率从以前的48.2%降低到20%以下。同时讨论了珠江口万山群岛造礁石珊瑚群落面临的生存威胁和亟待加强保护的迫切需要,提出保护和管理珠江口万山群岛造礁石珊瑚群落的建议,希望完善可持续的生态开发与和谐的生态保护的管理体系。     

Coral reef education in schools of Quintana Roo, Mexico

Coral reefs are vital to the livelihood of coastal communities in Quintana Roo, México and the preservation of these ecosystems relies on the establishment of protected areas. Education should be one of the most important management tools in coral reef preservation. Surveys were made among primary and secondary school students of Quintana Roo to determine the level of education regarding coral reefs and their importance. Students had little awareness about reefs. Coverage of coral reef issues is insufficient in school curricula and information media. Many students will leave school and become users of the reef with little understanding of it and of the consequences of exploitation of the reef. Creation of marine parks has not increased education and public awareness. There is an immediate need to establish appropriate and continuously available educational programs in order to preserve coral reefs. Education should encourage codes of behavior and community support to management issues.     

Marine biodiversity in the Caribbean UK overseas territories: Perceived threats and constraints to environmental management

Islands are often considered to be a priority for conservation, because of their relatively high levels of biodiversity and their vulnerability to a range of natural and anthropogenic threats. However, the capacity of islands to conserve and manage biodiversity may depend upon their governance structures. Many island states are affiliated to other countries through an ‘overseas territory’ status, which may provide them with access to resources and support mechanisms, but which may also influence the capacity for local-scale management of environmental issues. The United Kingdom has 12 island Overseas Territories (UKOTs), most of which support biodiversity of high conservation concern. This study investigates perceptions of current and future threats to marine ecosystems and constraints to environmental protection on the six Caribbean UKOTs, through semi-structured interviews with officials from UK and UKOT government departments and non-governmental organisations. Coastal development, pollution and over-fishing were perceived as threats of most concern for the next decade, but climate change was perceived as by far the greatest future threat to the islands' marine ecosystems. However, a series of common institutional limitations that currently constrain mitigation and conservation efforts were also identified, including insufficient personnel and financial support, a lack of long-term, sustainable projects for persistent environmental problems and inadequate environmental legislation. These findings highlight the need for regional cooperation and capacity-building throughout the Caribbean and a more concerted approach to an UKOT environmental management by the UK and UKOTs' governments.     

Marine conservation in remote small island settings: Factors influencing marine protected area establishment in the Azores

This paper examines the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) in remote small island settings with specific reference to the Portuguese island of Corvo in the Azores. This case study represents different approaches to marine conservation, ranging from an informal community-based no-take MPA to a government-driven multi-purpose natural park, involving diverse local and external actors interacting over an extended period of time. In-depth interviews were used to explore the perceptions of local and expert stakeholders about positive and negative aspects of MPA establishment. This demonstrated how differing approaches have led to varying degrees of MPA effectiveness. From the community-based MPA, several key ingredients for effective MPA establishment were identified, including engaging and empowering local communities, clear definition of goals, visible MPA outputs and community enforcement based on high levels of support and peer group pressure. However, in a context of complex marine resource use, the limitations of community-based initiatives prevent them from achieving broad ecosystem conservation goals. These might be better achieved through government-driven MPAs, provided that they are integrated in a wider regional marine strategy and that there is political will to effectively implement conservation measures and to allocate resources for management, enforcement and monitoring.     

中国珊瑚礁资源状况及其药用研究调查 Ⅱ.资源衰退状况、保护与管理

对中国珊瑚礁资源衰退状况和原因进行了调查和分析.结果表明,中国南海珊瑚礁资源衰退状况严重,珊瑚礁破坏率高达 90%以上,其中,占全国珊瑚礁总面积98%的海南,80%～95%的珊瑚礁受到破坏.除自然因素外,对珊瑚礁资源的不当的、过度的开发利用,社会经济发展带来的海洋环境污染等人为因素,是珊瑚礁资源衰退的主要原因.建立南中国海珊瑚礁生态系统保护与管理国际合作机制,正确评估珊瑚礁的生态功能与价值,建立珊瑚礁自然保护区及监测网络系统,是中国珊瑚礁资源保护性开发利用的可行对策.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of management of the Malindi–Watamu marine protected area complex in Kenya

An assessment of management effectiveness of Kenya's oldest marine protected areas (Malindi and Watamu) was conducted within the framework of a regional assessment in Kenya, Seychelles and Tanzania. Biophysical, socio-economic and governance indicators were used to assess the delivery of MPA management objectives. Results indicate that the Malindi and Watamu marine parks that are no-take areas are making progress towards meeting their stated objective of biodiversity conservation. The 1997–1998 ENSO related bleaching event caused the greatest single measurable impact on the coral reefs of the marine parks leading to very high levels of coral mortality. The marine reserve where fishing is regulated was less effective in meeting its objective of sustaining community livelihoods. The weakest trends were related to the development of governance structures. A combination of management inefficiencies due to overlapping mandates, financial and administrative constraints, and inadequate stakeholder participation interacted to reduce the ability of the MPAs to fully achieve their objectives.     

Fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the utilization of marine genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction: Bridging the gaps between science and policy

Marine genetic resources are a subject of a growing body of research and development activities, as demonstrated by the abundance of marine patented genes reported in GenBank. Given the lack of a comprehensive legal regime for the management of marine genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction, the General Assembly of the United Nations met in 2006 to discuss whether there are regulatory or governance gaps and how to address them. Besides the crystallization of the different political positions, the process is now advancing towards making a decision about whether to develop an international instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity, within which the regulation of access to genetic resources and the sharing of benefits from their utilization has emerged as an in-dissociable issue. In order to propose concrete options to be considered for the establishment of a legal framework addressing these issues, policy-makers need to better understand the feasibility, the costs and the modalities of scientific activities undertaken, together with the actual level of commercialization of new products. They also need to be aware of the already advanced practices in place within the scientific community, especially regarding sharing of non-monetary benefits. This paper particularly highlights and discusses practical scenarios to advance in the international process, based on the approaches adopted in other regional and international regimes for the management of genetic resources and on the best practices developed within the scientific community.     

Evaluating the influence of candidate terrestrial protected areas on coral reef condition in Fiji

In any given region, there are multiple options for terrestrial protected area networks that achieve goals for conservation of terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem values. When deciding on the location of terrestrial protected areas, planners typically focus only on terrestrial conservation goals, ignoring potential linked benefits to marine ecosystems. These benefits include maintenance of downstream water quality, as forest protection can prevent changes in amount and composition of river runoff that negatively impacts coral reefs. This study aims to determine the benefit of different terrestrial reserve networks to the condition of coral reefs adjacent to the main islands of Fiji to support the work of Fiji's Protected Area Committee in expanding the national protected area estate through integrated land–sea planning. Options for terrestrial protected area networks were designed using six approaches, where the primary objective of each approach was to either achieve terrestrial conservation goals (e.g., represent 40% of each vegetation type) or maximize benefits to coral reefs by minimizing potential for land-based runoff. When achieving terrestrial conservation goals was the primary objective, the potential benefits to coral reef condition were 7.7–10.4% greater than benefits from the existing network of protected areas. When benefiting reefs was the primary objective, benefits to coral reefs were 1.1–2.8 times greater per unit area than networks designed to only achieve terrestrial conservation goals, but 31–44% of the terrestrial conservation goals were not achieved. These results are already being used by Fiji's Protected Area Committee to modify the boundaries of existing priority places to deliver outcomes that better meet terrestrial conservation goals while offering greater benefits to coral reef condition through prevention of run-off.     

The negotiations for a binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond national jurisdiction

The conservation of marine biological diversity has been identified as a crucial issue in need of legal regulation. The UNCLOS does not sufficiently address all issues relevant to viably conserve biological diversity. Legal developments concerning marine genetic resources, area-based management tools such as marine protected areas, environmental impact assessment and capacity building are being discussed as elements of a new implementing agreement. In particular, more precise legal rules concerning marine protected areas beyond national jurisdiction are needed to supplement the frame left by UNCLOS. As concerns the issue of access to genetic resources and the sharing of benefits the UNCLOS regime has gaps because the relevant activities had not been foreseen at the time of the convention's adoption. Divergent views exist as to whether the concept of the common heritage of mankind should be extended to genetic resources.     

Indonesian legislative framework for coastal resources management: A critical review and recommendation

This paper addresses development and problems of the legislative framework for coastal and coral reef resources management in Indonesia. It describes the background to the legal framework of Indonesian coastal and coral reef legislation and proposes an appropriate legal framework for addressing Indonesian coastal and coral reef management. This paper outlines several major challenges faced by the Indonesian legislators. It reviews some of the justifications of creating an appropriate legal framework for coastal management.It argues that an adequate and appropriate legal framework will promote sustainable development and management of coastal and coral reef resources. It argues that, the complicated and inappropriate legal framework currently place in Indonesia has contributed to serious degradation of coastal and marine resources. It also argues that this degradation has been exacerbated by the lack of a national marine policy, severe weaknesses in law enforcement of natural resource including those of the fisheries laws and regulations in Indonesia. This paper suggests that there is a general malaise or lack of commitment to sustainable management and development of natural resources. This paper also focuses on the political aspects and their impacts on legislation for coastal and coral reef management at the national and selected regional levels.     

Ecohydrographic constraints on biodiversity and distribution of phytoplankton and zooplankton in coral reefs of the Red Sea,Saudi Arabia

An integral concept of ecological research is the constraint of biodiversity along latitudinal and environmental gradients. The Red Sea features a natural example of a latitudinal gradient of salinity, temperature and nutrient richness. Coral reefs along the Red Sea coasts are supported with allochthonous resources such as oceanic and neritic phytoplankton and zooplankton; however, relatively little is known about how the ecohydrography correlates with plankton biodiversity and abundance. In this article we present the biodiversity of phytoplankton and zooplankton in Red Sea coral reefs. Oceanographic data (temperature, salinity), water samples for nutrient analysis, particulate organic matter, phytoplankton and zooplankton, the latter with special reference to Copepoda (Crustacea), were collected at nine coral reefs over ~1500 km distance along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. The trophic state of ambient waters [as indicated by chlorophyll a (Chl a)] changed from strong oligotrophy in the north to mesotrophy in the south and was associated with increasing biomasses of Bacillariophyceae, picoeukaryotes and Synechococcus as indicated by pigment fingerprinting (CHEMTAX) and flow cytometry. Net‐phytoplankton microscopy revealed a Trichodesmium erythraeum (Cyanobacteria) bloom north of the Farasan Islands. Several potentially harmful algae, including Dinophysis miles and Gonyaulax spinifera (Dinophyceae), were encountered in larger numbers in the vicinity of the aquaculture facilities at Al Lith. Changes in zooplankton abundance were mainly correlated to the phytoplankton biomass following the latitudinal gradient. The largest zooplankton abundance was observed at the Farasan Archipelago, despite high abundances of copepodites, veligers (Gastropoda larvae) and Chaetognatha at Al Lith. Although the community composition changed over latitude, biodiversity indices of phytoplankton and zooplankton did not exhibit a systematic pattern. As this study constitutes the first current account of the plankton biodiversity in Red Sea coral reefs at a large spatial scale, the results will be informative for ecosystem‐based management along the coastline of Saudi Arabia.     

Toward the conservation and management of Sedlo Seamount: A case study

Seamount-associated communities and ecosystems have proven to be highly vulnerable to the impact of human activities. Globally, seamount and cold-water coral habitats and species, which often go along with each other, are considered a priority for developing conservation and sustainable management measures within and beyond national jurisdiction. Seamounts may be good candidates for site-based management such as by means of marine protected areas (MPAs), due to their singularity and isolation. In the north-east Atlantic, so far, there are only two seamounts managed as marine protected areas, both in the waters of the Azores, and several others as closed areas to fisheries by Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC).This paper describes, using the example of Sedlo Seamount, the development of a framework for the management of activities and interests of a potential offshore marine protected area. The work is based on the scientific results of the OASIS project and on input from various stakeholders, including fishery organizations, government and scientists. It reviews the current state of the site in terms of natural setting, existing uses and potential threats and proposes boundaries and regulations with the overall goal to manage human activities around Sedlo in a way that protects its ecosystem function and biodiversity, and its significance as a rather unexploited example of a seamount within a network of marine protected areas in the NE Atlantic. The resulting proposed management plan is a fundamental prerequisite to the establishment of the Sedlo Seamount as an offshore MPA, contributing to the OSPAR network of MPAs in the north-east Atlantic.     

Sustainable use of renewable resources and conservation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden: issues,needs and strategic actions

The coastal and marine environments and resources of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are globally significant and generally in a healthy state. Current regional issues include localized destruction of coral reefs, seagrass and mangroves; declines in some fisheries; exploitation of some endangered species; pollution from the development and transport of petroleum; and disposal of industrial and municipal wastes. The underlying causes of these issues are the natural vulnerability of the Red Sea due to its semi-enclosed nature; economic reliance on the petroleum industry; significant navigation risks; a rapidly increasing coastal population and associated developments; lack of fisheries information, surveillance and management; poor coastal zone planning; and limited technical expertise. Strategic actions addressing these issues will need to be implemented regionally and focus on coastal zone management that integrates environmental planning, environmental assessment and review; training and institutional development; public awareness and participation; information gathering especially fisheries statistics; reducing navigation risks; and the development of resource management and conservation strategies.     

Marine protected areas: a tool for integrated coastal management in Belize

Management of the Belize Barrier Reef was originally envisioned through the creation of marine protected areas. However, the influence of land-based activities was not accounted for in Marine Protected Area (MPA) programs. Therefore focus was shifted to an integrated approach via Integrated Coastal Management (ICM). The Belize ICM process has evolved into a system of coordination through the fostering of multi-sectoral linkages for integrated management of coastal resources. Marine protected areas were included in the ICM program as tools for achieving biodiversity protection and management of sensitive habitats. The ICM process has resulted in greater coordination and consultation in decision making for coastal resource issues, the MPA program however has not evolved with the trend of greater community involvement in MPA management. The greatest challenges to MPA and ICM programs in the next 10 years are: improved linkages between the two, fostering of community participation in management, broadening of the scope of ICM to watersheds and ocean governance, and sustainable financing for both programs.     

Why local people do not support conservation: Community perceptions of marine protected area livelihood impacts,governance and management in Thailand

Conservation success is often predicated on local support for conservation which is strongly influenced by perceptions of the impacts that are experienced by local communities and opinions of management and governance. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are effective conservation and fisheries management tools that can also have a broad array of positive and negative social, economic, cultural, and political impacts on local communities. Drawing on results from a mixed-methods study of communities on the Andaman Coast of Thailand, this paper explores perceptions of MPA impacts on community livelihood resources (assets) and outcomes as well as MPA governance and management. The area includes 17 National Marine Parks (NMPs) that are situated near rural communities that are highly dependent on coastal resources. Interview participants perceived NMPs to have limited to negative impacts on fisheries and agricultural livelihoods and negligible benefits for tourism livelihoods. Perceived impacts on livelihoods were felt to result from NMPs undermining access to or lacking support for development of cultural, social, political, financial, natural, human, physical, and political capital assets. Conflicting views emerged on whether NMPs resulted in negative or positive marine or terrestrial conservation outcomes. Perceptions of NMP governance and management processes were generally negative. These results point to some necessary policy improvements and actions to ameliorate: the relationship between the NMP and communities, NMP management and governance processes, and socio-economic and conservation outcomes.     

Commercial fishing, conservation and compatibility in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

A critical issue in marine ecosystem-based management is addressing the compatibility of extractive use with ecosystem protection. Analysis of the protected area planning process for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands suggests the key elements of an ecosystem-based approach to protected area management include establishing a common understanding among decision makers of ecosystem boundaries and ecosystem condition, informed by the best available science. A participatory process is proposed that relies on an informed assessment of whether extractive use compromises ecological integrity and is consistent with conservation objectives. Best practices for compatibility determinations are proposed for multi-agency protected area management and planning.     

Marine biodiversity conservation based on integrated coastal zone management (ICZM)—A case study in Quanzhou Bay,Fujian, China

Marine biodiversity conservation is a common issue in the world. Due to rapid economic development in coastal area in China, marine biodiversity conservation faces great pressure. In this paper, the idea of the integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) was applied as a framework in marine biodiversity conservation. At first, the relationship between integrated coastal zone management and the marine biodiversity conservation was discussed. Then, as a case study in Fujian Quanzhou bay, a set of strategies on marine biodiversity conservation based on ICZM were put forward, which included how to define management boundary of marine biodiversity conservation, the impact assessment model of human activities in the coastal area on marine biodiversity, the planning and management of marine biodiversity conservation, and the monitoring system of the marine biodiversity. Finally, the framework of the comprehensive decision support system based on GIS was suggested.     

Marine protected areas—substantiating their worth

With the UK Marine Bill promoting the creation of a network of marine protected areas and similar commitments in other countries there is a need for tools to assist in their design and management. Although physical science often drives designation, the implementation of marine protected areas also encompasses political and socio-economic issues. This paper focuses on one tool in the armoury of decision-makers: choice experiments. It illustrates its application to the quantification of aspects of socio-economic value not readily incorporated into the evaluation of the costs and benefits of marine protected areas utilising cold-water deep coral reefs off the Republic of Ireland.     

基于生态适宜性评价的海洋生态系统管理——以温州市洞头区为例

海洋为人类生存和社会经济发展提供了重要的资源和环境条件,海洋生态适宜性研究能够评定海域的固有属性对生态保护和开发利用的适宜等级和潜力-限制因素.本研究以典型的海岛区洞头为例,构建了海洋生态适宜性评价的空间分析模型,计算得到其空间分布,进而开展了生态适宜度的功能分区;据此划分了洞头区的生态管控空间,判断了未来海域资源保护和开发利用管理的主导方向,提出了各管控区发展的资源优势及限制性因素.结果表明,洞头海域按照生态适宜度值的高低可以清晰地划分为重点保护区、一般保护区、适度开发区和优化开发区等4类功能区,分别占区域总面积的23%、50%、18%和9%;前两者为生态保护及恢复的重要区域,后两者是未来海洋资源开发利用的主要区域; 4类区域可以归并为生态保护、农渔业养殖、城镇开发3类管控功能区.本研究对开展海洋生态功能区划、协调海洋资源开发与区域生态保护的关系、构建基于生态系统的海洋综合管理模式具有重要意义.     

Linkages between the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Initiative

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a large, multiple-use marine protected area, including a network of fully protected marine zones, which was designated in 1990 to protect the coral reef ecosystem surrounding the Florida Keys. The South Florida Ecosystem Restoration (SFER) Initiative was formed in 1993 to restore more natural flows to the ecosystem, restore and enhance the natural system, and transform the built environment. These two large-scale efforts at ecosystem-based management are tightly linked, albeit asymmetrically because of the importance of restored flows of pure fresh water across the Everglades and into the coastal ecosystem. The growing population of South Florida, combined with increasing development, agriculture, and other human activities, imperils the entire South Florida ecosystem, from the headwaters of Lake Okeechobee to the Florida Reef Tract. This paper presents the evolution and characteristics of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the SFER Initiative, which have both been tasked with addressing complex issues regarding ecosystem-based management. Key linkages between these programs involve connectivity, both physical and human, through circulation patterns and exchange processes in South Florida coastal waters and through the complex bureaucracy that has grown to manage human uses of natural resources.