Effective governance of a large and complex cross-jurisdictional marine protected area: Australia's Great Barrier Reef

Australia's Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef ecosystem on earth. The governance of such a large and iconic area is complex due to the overlapping federal and state (Queensland) jurisdictions. Since 1975 this globally significant area has been protected by pioneering federal legislation which enabled the ‘reasonable use’ of natural resources to co-exist with conservation, thus introducing the concept of a multiple-use marine park. In 1981 the Great Barrier Reef was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Area. Today a federal multiple-use Marine Park covers 99% of the Great Barrier Reef Region and World Heritage Area, with the remaining areas under state jurisdiction. A close working partnership between the federal and state governments has evolved over 37 years and includes complementary legislation, joint field management and joint permits. In the face of increasing pressures, management of the Great Barrier Reef continues to be effective for a range of reasons, including a sound governance/legislative framework together with complementary federal/state legislation; integrated management with relevant federal and state agencies; and the application of ecosystem-based management principles both inside and outside the area of the marine park's jurisdiction. This integrated and comprehensive management model is widely regarded as effective by marine and coastal managers around the world.     

Ongoing effects of no-take marine reserves on commercially exploited coral trout populations on the Great Barrier Reef

Networks of no-take marine reserves (NTMRs) are widely used for managing marine resources. Because they restrict fishing, managers need to monitor reserves to reassure stakeholders that they are achieving the intended results. In 2004, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) Marine Park was rezoned and the area of NTMRs was greatly increased. Using manta tow we assessed the effectiveness of the new NTMRs in conserving coral trout (Plectropomus and Variola spp.), the principle targets of the GBR reef line fishery. Over a six year period, we sampled regional groups of matched pairs of similar reefs, ones closed to fishing under the rezoning and ones that remained open. Coral trout populations were significantly higher in NTMRs. While coral trout populations declined on reefs open to fishing, stocks were maintained in NTMRs, highlighting the ongoing benefits of marine reserves.     

A broad-scale assessment of the risk to coastal seagrasses from cumulative threats

Informing the management of coastal marine habitats at broad spatial scales is difficult because of the costs associated with collecting and analyzing ecological data at that scale. Spatially explicit assessments of the risk to coastal marine habitats from cumulative threats provide an alternative approach by identifying sites that are exposed to multiple anthropogenic threats at broad scales. In this study, qualitative measures of vulnerability were combined with geospatial data to evaluate the risk to coastal seagrasses at the scale of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region (∼26,000 km²) of Queensland, Australia. The risk assessment outputs identified agricultural, urban and industrial runoff, and urban and port developments as the major anthropogenic activities threatening coastal seagrasses. ‘Hot spots’ with multiple threat exposure were all in industrial port locations and the southern two-thirds of the GBR. There is a distinct discontinuity in threat exposure along the GBR coast with 98% of seagrass meadows in the northern third exposed to only low levels of anthropogenic risk. The clustering of threat exposure is discussed in terms of coastal management policy. The approach outlined in this study provides management agencies a method of achieving maximum return for minimal investment in data collection at broad spatial scales by identifying sites where management intervention would be best targeted.     

Responses and adaptation strategies of commercial and charter fishers to zoning changes in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Fishers' responses to changes in resource access through the imposition of marine protected areas can be a critical factor influencing the likelihood of achieving management objectives.Face-to-face interviews with 114 commercial and charter fishers were conducted to investigate their responses and adaptation strategies to the increase in the size and number of no-take zones imposed by the 2004 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning plan. Despite holding positive attitudes towards marine biodiversity protection, fishers were generally unsupportive of the new zoning plan 5 years after its implementation. Fishers' lack of support was related to the perception that they had not been adequately engaged in the rezoning process and the perception of significant impacts of the zoning plan on fishing businesses. Fishers generally believed that the new zoning plan had a negative impact on their access to productive fishing areas, the numbers of fish they catch, the profitability of their fishing business, and their personal income. In response to the new no-take zones, fishers tended to redistribute their fishing activity to locations closer to their home port, and to locations already known to them through their previous fishing, resulting in an increase in high density fishing locations within the park. Despite the impacts that fishers experienced, most reported that they have adapted their fishing activity and fishing business at least moderately well to the new zoning plan, suggesting that many of the impacts experienced by fishers might be short-term and may decline over time as fishers learn to adapt to the new zoning system. The information provided should prove valuable as a baseline for continued monitoring of the costs and benefits of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park rezoning into the future.     

Developing a long-term outlook for the Great Barrier Reef,Australia: A framework for adaptive management reporting underpinning an ecosystem-based management approach

The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009 was the first produced in response to a newly legislated requirement for five-yearly reports on the status of and outlook for the Great Barrier Reef. It adopted an ecosystem approach, assessing all habitats and species, ecosystem processes and major uses. By then considering the factors affecting the ecosystem, coupled with an assessment of management effectiveness, it provided a risk-based forward-looking projection for the ecosystem. Rarely has such a comprehensive, ecosystem-based report been produced to guide government action. With no pre-determined path to follow for interpreting the legislative requirements, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) developed a repeatable structure and method for Great Barrier Reef Outlook Reports that impartially and consistently considers the evidence and clearly presents the findings. The GBRMPA worked closely with relevant Australian and Queensland Government agencies as well as researchers, industry representatives and the community while developing the report. That such a report must be produced every five years allows an overview of the effectiveness of management responses to be regularly assessed. It also provides a transparent means of highlighting and tracking emerging risks facing the Great Barrier Reef.     

Co-management and protected area management: Achieving effective management of a contested site,lessons from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA)

Marine protected management has gained acceptance as a way forward to achieve enhanced biodiversity outcomes. Simultaneously, co-management has gathered momentum as a mechanism to incorporate indigenous cultural aspirations within environmental management domains. Each management process has its own methodologies; when the two models intersect, they present a number of challenges to overall management outcomes. We review the journey of an indigenous co-management initiative within a marine protected area (MPA), the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA), Australia, to explore how different management paradigms intersect with both negative and positive results. We argue that lessons learned from this initiative will help participants to adapt and innovate, so as to implement effective on ground management despite the region being a contested site.     

Socio-economic aspects of artificial reefs: Considerations for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Artificial reefs are used to enhance recreational fishing and diving opportunities in the marine environment. Until recently, demand for artificial reefs in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) has been low due to the high value placed on the natural ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and the abundance of fishing and diving opportunities it provides. In the GBRMP, where there are multiple stakeholder groups with diverse and often conflicting values and opinions, the deployment of artificial reefs will be a complex and controversial social issue. We review the available socio-economic literature regarding the deployment, use, and management of artificial reefs, and aim to identify and understand potential socio-economic issues and information gaps surrounding deployment of artificial reefs in the GBRMP. We also outline a strategy to guide decision-making and maximize the socio-economic value of artificial reefs should they be deployed in the GBRMP.     

An integrated monitoring framework for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

Monitoring provides important feedback on how social and environmental systems are tracking and whether or not human activities, including management activities, are having an impact. This paper describes an approach applied to develop an integrated monitoring framework to inform adaptive management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, a complex, multi-jurisdictional, multi-sectoral marine system of international importance. It identifies the gaps and opportunities to integrate the existing long-term, short-term and compliance-related monitoring and reporting initiatives to provide the information for more effective and efficient (adaptive) management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. And as importantly it aligns expectations among different agencies about how monitoring will inform management. Fifty two high priority values, processes and pressures for management were identified along with 65 existing monitoring programs. Developing the monitoring framework was useful in several ways. First it brought together scientists, policy-makers, managers, and other interested stakeholders with different agendas, philosophies and incentives and established a common purpose, lexicon and language for an integrated monitoring program. Second, it highlighted the importance and usefulness of qualitative conceptual models as a framework for focused discussion around a set of hypotheses with relevance for management. Third, the process started an important conversation about defining and setting a realistic number of monitoring priorities for management. Finally, it has provided direction for how to build on existing initiatives to develop an integrated monitoring program for a globally significant world heritage area.     

台湾北部近岸海域柳珊瑚体内金属累积的研究

自台湾北部和平岛沿岸海域及淡水河出海口海域，采得软木软柳珊瑚(ubergorgia suberosa)、扁刺柳珊瑚(Echinogorgia complexa)、网刺柳珊瑚(Echinogorgia reticulata)和1未定种柳珊瑚等4种柳珊瑚目样品。检测体内18种金属含量。其中以Ca、Zn、Cu、Al、Fe及Mn含量较高．体长较长的珊瑚。体内金属累积量则相对较高，尤其以Cu及Zn的趋势最为明确。经统计分析。显示4种珊瑚体内金属含量彼此间无群组相关性存在，呈现多变、无规则性的分布。本研究与大堡礁及委内瑞拉附近海域同一目珊瑚(Gorgonacea)中相同金属分析值进行比较结果Cd、Pb及Ni含量彼此差异不大，但Cu的含量则以台湾北部珊瑚体内较高。     

Enhancing fish stocks with wave-powered artificial upwelling

Ocean fisheries are declining worldwide due to overexploitation. Productivity could be enhanced and the problem alleviated by pumping nutrient-rich deep ocean water (DOW) to the surface to feed phytoplankton, the bottom end of a marine food chain, mimicking natural upwelling which sustains the most productive ocean fishing grounds in the world. Various pump types and power sources have been proposed for this purpose. The present article proposes a simple wave-powered pump to demonstrate the concept cost-effectively at prototype scale. Possible solutions to the problems of dilution and plunging of dense, nutrient-rich DOW are discussed. Two further possible benefits of this proposal are discussed: by extracting wave energy, relatively calm fishing grounds may be created close to markets, and by pumping up very large quantities of cold DOW, the surface temperature could be lowered enough to reduce coral bleaching on parts of the Great Barrier Reef.     

Purpose,policy, and practice: Intent and reality for on-ground management and outcomes of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Notwithstanding a complex array of international, national, and local policies designed to protect biodiversity and manage human activities, the condition of Australia's Great Barrier Reef has been deteriorating. This trend indicates that policy settings are inadequate or the right policies have been prescribed but not effectively implemented. This study aimed to determine which policies influenced on-ground management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and Marine Park, how they were implemented, and the challenges encountered by practitioners in applying policies. The research required content analysis of policy instruments relevant to various jurisdictional levels, and surveys and interviews with 19 key informants across jurisdictions and agencies. This study found that policy intent is not automatically translated into practice: international agreements are interpreted and reinterpreted along the policy pathway to on-ground management and, consequently, the aspirations of these agreements can be frustrated and their effectiveness diluted. Due to limits of jurisdictional responsibility, practitioners within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority are constrained in influencing key factors that impact on their capacity to address threats and manage outcomes. The major policy gap affecting management outcomes was the absence of a mechanism with which to manage cumulative impacts responsible for deterioration of key ecosystem processes and biodiversity. These findings highlight that effective policy implementation is a challenging task, limited by gaps between intentions and outcomes, inconsistencies, and conflicting agendas. An improved understanding of the policy implementation process and the policy-practitioner relationship is essential to enhancing links between policy and on-ground management.     

Structure and variability of symbiotic assemblages associated with feather stars (Crinoidea: Comatulida) <Emphasis Type="Italic">Himerometra robustipinna</Emphasis>

The paper considers the influence of the geographical position and local conditions on the structure and abundance of symbiotic communities (SCs) associated with the crinoid Himerometra robustipinna. Two water areas at the coast of Vietnam (Nhatrang Bay and the Anthoy Archipelago; our data), Hansa Bay (Papua, New Guinea; Deyen et al., 2006), and the Great Barrier Reef (Australia; Fabricius and Dale, 1993) were compared. We found a similarity in the contribution from the main taxa to the structure of SCs between geographically distant water areas—Nhatrang Bay, Hansa Bay, and the Great Barrier Reef (GBR)—and strong differences between the two Vietnamese water areas. A possible reason for the differences in the SC structure in these water areas is not their geographical location, but the environmental conditions, which are more stable in the seaward part of Nhatrang Bay and less stable in the Anthoy Archipelago. The abundances of symbionts in the water areas of the coast of Vietnam are similar to each other and strongly different from Hansa Bay and the GBR. We suppose that a factor regulating the abundance of symbionts is their consumption by predatory fishes. A low abundance of fishes in the area of active coastal fishery (the coast of Vietnam) makes possible the existence of SCs with a high abundance. In Hansa Bay and the GBR where fishery pressure is low, a high number of predators leads to a low abundance of symbionts.     

Determination of pteridines and flavins in seawater by reverse-phase,high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorometric detection

Methods are described for routine analyses of individual pteridines and flavins from marine waters at picomolar concentrations. Samples were concentrated by adsorption on bonded-phase, C₁₈ silica and Florisil Sep-Pak extraction columns connected in series. Sample extracts derived from Sep-Pak eluates were analysed by reverse-phase liquid chromatography with fluorometric detection. These methods proved sensitive for the quantitative identification of pterin, xanthopterin, isoxanthopterin, 6-biopterin, pterin-6-carboxylic acid, 6-hydroxymethylpterin, riboflavin, riboflavin-5′-phosphate, lumiflavin and lumichrome in reef waters at Davies Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Preliminary experiments were conducted to test the application of these methods to the measurement of pterin and flavin excretion from several reef-dwelling, benthic organisms. Results from these experiments suggest that the benthic community contributes these compounds to the coral reef environment.     

The importance of marine spatial planning in advancing ecosystem-based sea use management

During the past 10 years, the evolution of marine spatial planning (MSP) and ocean zoning has become a crucial step in making ecosystem-based, sea use management a reality. The idea was initially stimulated by international and national interest in developing marine protected areas, e.g., the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. More recent attention has been placed on managing the multiple use of marine space, especially in areas where conflicts among users and the environment are already clear, e.g., in the North Sea. Even more recent concern has focused on the need to conserve nature, especially ecologically and biologically sensitive areas, in the context of multi-use planning of ocean space. Despite academic discussions and the fact that some countries already have started implementation, the scope of MSP has not been clearly defined. Terms such as integrated management, marine spatial management, and ocean zoning are all used inconsistently. This is one of the reasons why its importance is not more seriously reflected at the levels of policy and decision-making in most countries. This article attempts to deal with this problem. It describes why MSP is an essential step to achieve ecosystem-based sea use management, how it can be defined and what its core objectives are. The article concludes with an analysis of the use and achievements of MSP worldwide, with particular focus on new approaches in Europe.     

Seismic and stratigraphic evidence for reef expansion and onset of aridity on the Northwest Shelf of Australia during the Pleistocene

Modern reef (the Great Barrier Reef and Ryukyu Reef) distribution in the Indo-Pacific region is strongly controlled by warm currents (East Australian and Kuroshio Currents) that radiate from the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool. The modern distribution of reefs (south of 15°S) on the Western Australian shelf is related to the presence of the warm Leeuwin Current. However, the age of the reefs south of 15°S, and hence their temporal relationship to the Leeuwin Current, has been largely unknown. Seismic and subsurface stratigraphic data show that reef growth and expansion on the Northwest Shelf of Australia began in the Middle Pleistocene (∼0.5 Ma). The oldest ooids in the region are approximately synchronous with reef growth. We suggest a two stage process for the spread of reefs to higher latitudes on the Western Australian coast; first an increase in Leeuwin Current activity at approximately 1 Ma brought warm waters and a tropical biota to the region; and second, increased aridity after ∼0.6 Ma led to a decline in clastic input and increased alkalinity, triggering ooid formation and reef expansion to higher latitudes associated with the switch to higher amplitude glacio-eustatic cycles at the end of the Middle Pleistocene Transition. The timing and mechanisms for reef expansion south along the Western Australian coast has implications for the origin of the Eastern Australian Middle Pleistocene Great Barrier Reef, the New Caledonia Barrier Reef and Japanese Ryukyu Reef systems.     

A process to design a network of marine no-take areas: Lessons from the Great Barrier Reef

In the absence of consensus on the quantity and level of zoning protection required for coral reef and lagoon ecosystems, which process can guide decision makers? The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) worked with experts in a collaborative process to develop a set of Biophysical Operational Principles to guide the design of a network of no-take areas. First, 82 expert scientists were asked to provide data and advice on the physical, biological and ecological dimensions of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. They recommended that an independent Scientific Steering Committee (the Committee) was set up. How this Committee worked successfully with the GBRMPA staff is detailed here in a manner to enable other resource managers to adopt the process if they are working in data-limited marine environments.     

The Sanya Coral Reef National Marine Nature Reserve,China: A governance analysis

This paper examines the governance of the Sanya Coral Reef National Marine Nature Reserve (SCR-NMNR) in China in the context of a rapidly growing local economy, driven mainly by recent growth in the tourism sector. The governance approach adopted in the SCR-NMNR is characterised by significant decentralisation, i.e. many roles have been devolved to the local government. However, this has led to the undermining of strategic conservation objectives by local economic development priorities, through the rapid development of mass tourism involving both the private sector and the local government. This reliance on economic incentives has provided alternative livelihoods and resources for the management of the MPA, but has also incurred environmental and social costs. Overall, it can be argued that the current governance approach cannot effectively address the full spectrum of challenges encountered, in that these costs appear to outweigh the benefits. In order to improve the governance of the SCR-NMNR towards more effective and equitable outcomes, strengthened leadership from the central state will be needed, as well as a sense of community stewardship towards the MPA.     

Flow separation and vertical motions in a tidal flow interacting with a shallow-water island

This paper reports on the case study of Rattray Island (Great Barrier Reef, northeast Australia), lying perpendicular to tidal flow in shallow waters. At ebb and flood, attached (stable) eddies develop in the wake where swirls of turbidity suggest that sediment-laden waters are brought to the surface as a result of vertical transport. Both eddy and tip upwellings are encountered in the tidal flow around Rattray Island but there is currently no clear-cut answer as to which secondary flow generates upwelling with the largest intensity. This paper addresses this specific issue through idealized and realistic high-resolution numerical experiments. The analysis is supported by physical arguments based on the theory of flow separation. Given Rattray's geometry and surrounding bathymetry, the mechanism of flow separation in shallow waters helps explain the asymmetry in size of the eddies and their intensity. The results of idealized numerical experiments also suggest that eddy and tip upwellings may be of similar intensity at Rattray Island.     

The need and practice of monitoring, evaluating and adapting marine planning and management—lessons from the Great Barrier Reef

An increasing number of scientists and resource managers recognise that successful marine management approaches, including marine spatial planning (MSP), cannot occur without effective monitoring, evaluation and adaptation. These basic components are necessary to ensure that any marine planning or marine management measures are both effective and efficient. While a number of fundamental principles for marine monitoring, evaluation and adaptive management exist, there are varying levels of understanding about how these should be undertaken and what they may achieve. Challenges include the development of realistic and measurable objectives and indicators against which effectiveness can be practically measured. The matter becomes even more complicated as the focus of marine planning and management strategies changes from ‘single species’ to ‘habitats’ and ‘ecosystems’ that may enable a diversity of permitted uses consistent with a variety of overall objectives. Over the last 30 years, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) has successfully established a multiple-use spatial management approach that allows both high levels of environmental protection and a wide range of human activities. Drawing on this unique long-term experience in the GBRMP, this article discusses key aspects of effective monitoring and evaluation, and summarises lessons learned from over two decades of adaptive management.     

Working up an appetite for lionfish: A market-based approach to manage the invasion of Pterois volitans in Belize

Located on the Caribbean coast of Central America and flanked by the second longest barrier reef in the world, Belize is a nation reliant upon marine resources. Each year, the country’s predominantly small-scale fisheries generate an estimated US$22 million in revenue – 1.8%of GDP – and employ 3000 people. However, the nation’s fishing communities are facing an unprecedented challenge. Existing threats posed by declining fish stocks have been exacerbated by the introduction of the invasive alien red lionfish Pterois volitans in 2008. This Indo-Pacific predator has the potential to cause significant losses to the recruitment of native fish, in turn disrupting coral reef community dynamics in the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Howefver, targeted lionfish fishing may offer a cost effective means to control the invasion, while also creating an alternative livelihood solution and improving food security among Belize's coastal fishing communities. This study summarises the recent history of the lionfish invasion in Belize, describes the multi-sector approach being used to address the invasion, and presents preliminary research summarising the characteristics of invasive alien lionfish in Belize. Data from Belize's nascent ‘lionfishery’ are also presented, demonstrating that demand for lionfish is outweighing supply – largely as a result of awareness-raising initiatives – and highlighting the strong potential for replication of this approach elsewhere in the Caribbean. The study concludes by discussing the barriers and potential solutions to this market-based approach to invasive species management.