Influence of anthropogenic pressure and seasonal upwelling on coral reefs in Nha Trang Bay (Central Vietnam)

The growing coastal development, dredging and dumping activities, overfishing and expansion of marine cage culture in Nha Trang Bay (NTB) of Central Vietnam since the beginning of the 2000s have resulted in a dramatic decrease of live coral cover. Surveys conducted in April–May 2013 and the same period in 2014 revealed that with an increase in distance from the outer part of the bay towards the mainland, the rivers’ influxes and dredged areas, coral cover decreased from 75% to 0.6% and species richness from 63 to 5, while the abundance of macroalgae increased from 0% to 56%. These changes correlate with differences in the concentration of suspended sediments on the same gradient. The abundance of the crown‐of‐thorns starfish Acanthaster planci and of the echinoid Diadema setosum significantly increased between the first estimation in 1998 and the survey in 2014, from 0 to 1.7 individuals (ind.) per 100 m^?2 and from 50.8 to 94.5 ind. per 100 m^?2, respectively, contributing to coral loss and intensive bioerosion of the reef framework in the bay. The large sizes of adult colonies of tabulate Acropora on the remote stations with negligible sedimentation and eutrophication loads were inconsistent with the assumptions that temperature‐induced coral bleaching or cyclones could be the major impacts in Nha Trang Bay. Analysis of the 16‐year thermal history of the bay did not reveal any instances in which the coral thermal bleaching threshold had been exceeded up to the present study. Seasonal upwelling, which occurs annually in the vicinity of Central Vietnam, may contribute to mitigation of thermal anomalies within NTB and to the maintenance of healthy coral communities on the remote reefs with relatively low anthropogenic impact.     

海洋生态重要性区域的内涵与识别方法研究——以黄河口为例

海洋生态环境目前正在承受来自人类活动和气候变化的巨大压力;急需必要的管理工具或决策支持系统来应对这些压力所带来的生态环境问题。对海洋生境的分类识别是开展生物多样性保护的基础和前提;海洋生态重要区识别作为一种客观、科学和灵活的生境分类评估和选划方法;已被科学界和管理者广泛接受和认可。本文首先介绍了海洋生态重要区的概念内涵以及识别方法的研究进展;给出了海洋生态重要区的定义;之后以黄河口为例;初步建立了针对该区域的生态重要区识别标准和评价方法;对黄河口及邻近海区进行了生态重要性等级划分。本文是对生态重要区识别方法在我国近海的首次应用尝试;研究结果可为我国基于生态系统的海洋管理提供科学方法和工具;也可为其他区域的研究提供借鉴。     

Seeing the ocean through the eyes of seabirds: A new path for marine conservation?

Seeing the ocean through the eyes of seabirds could help meet the challenges of managing common-pool marine resources both in protected and unprotected areas. First, seabirds are top-predators, exposed to all threats affecting the oceans, and this makes them ideal sentinel organisms for monitoring changes within marine ecosystems. Second, seabirds cross both ecological and political boundaries, and following their movements should help making interdependencies within and between marine ecosystems more visible. Third, seabirds are conspicuous and often charismatic animals, which interact differently with different groups of stakeholders and provide the opportunity to acknowledge and discuss each other's values and interests. In this paper, we present these research avenues using a seabirds’ view, for tackling marine conservation and management issues, and we give operational examples of implementation based on our work in the English Channel.     

From stormy seas to the doldrums: The challenges of navigating towards an ecologically coherent marine protected area network through England's Marine Conservation Zone process

There is an on-going process to establish Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in England, to form part of a coherent and representative network of marine protected areas under national and EU legislation. From 2009 to 2011, the MCZ process included strong participatory elements. Four regional multi-sector stakeholder groups developed MCZ recommendations collaboratively, in line with ecological guidance provided by the Government's nature conservation advisers. This guidance was based on Government policy principles, including that MCZs should be designated based on ‘best available evidence’. This paper analyses the multi-dimensional conflicts that emerged within the stakeholder group in south-west England, which were magnified by uncertainty about future MCZ management. In September 2011, after working through these conflicts through trade-offs and negotiations, the stakeholder groups jointly recommended 127 MCZs to Government. The process subsequently shifted to a top-down approach, with further stakeholder engagement limited to bilateral consultation. There was a concurrent shift in policy, from a broad-scale network-level focus towards single-feature conservation. A lengthy series of evidence reviews concluded that the existing evidence at the time was insufficient to progress with the designation of most sites, marking a clear departure from the policy principle of proceeding with the designation of a representative network based on ‘best available evidence’, and effectively undermining the work carried out by stakeholder groups. Though MCZ designation was originally timetabled for 2012, in November 2013 just 27 of the recommended 127 MCZs were designated in a first tranche. At the time, no clear timetable was in place for subsequent tranches.     

Missing the boat: Critical threats to coral reefs are neglected at global scale

Coral reefs have experienced a global decline due to overfishing, pollution, and warming oceans that are becoming increasingly acidic. To help halt and reverse this decline, interventions should be aimed at those threats reef experts and managers identify as most severe. The survey included responses from 170 managers, representing organizations from 50 countries and territories, and found that respondents generally agreed on the two major threats: overfishing and coastal development. However, resource allocation did not match this consensus on major threats. In particular, while overfishing receives much attention, coastal development and its attendant pollution are largely neglected and underfunded. These results call for a re-examination of how resources are allocated in coral reef conservation, with more attention given to aligning how money is spent with what are perceived to be the primary threats.     

人为干扰对滨海湿地生态系统的影响

对滨海湿地生态系统的主要人为干扰方式进行了系统辨识,详细阐述了不同人为干扰方式对滨海湿地生态系统结构、功能及服务的影响。综合分析了人为干扰造成的滨海湿地生态系统的结构改变、功能破坏、服务减少,其中,城市化、工业化进程干扰对滨海湿地生态系统的影响最为严重,并提出了滨海湿地保护对策。     

黄河三角洲芦苇湿地生态修复效果评价研究

基于黄河三角洲芦苇湿地退化现状及所实施的生态修复工程,以正负参照系选取了4块不同修复年限的样地,从湿地生态系统的环境质量、结构与功能的角度构建了湿地修复效果评价指标体系,利用层次分析法确定各指标权重,利用模糊综合评价法对黄河三角洲盐渍化芦苇湿地的修复效果进行定量评价。结果表明:黄河三角洲芦苇湿地4年修复期的样地评价得分为4.01,2年修复期的样地评价得分为3.16,对应评价结果分别为"优"和"良"的等级。相比负向对照,修复区的水体指标和土壤指标参数显著改善,而植被生物量和密度与自然样地还有较大差距,说明生物群落的建立需要更长的时间;同时,湿地水资源管理是该区芦苇湿地生态修复工程的关键,应根据芦苇不同生长期的需水量,制定合理的抽灌制度,达到洗碱脱盐和植被建群的双重目的。     

Vulnerability of Kuwait coast to sea level rise

Assessing coastal vulnerability to sea level rise (SLR) at local and regional scales is a fundamental step for designing successful long-term coastal management plans. This study was thus designed to assess Kuwait coastal vulnerability to SLR at four scenarios (.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 m). Potential inundated areas and the number of people at risk were estimated based on these SLR scenarios. A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) map of Kuwait was then computed based on the lowest scenario using eight parameters: elevation, coastal slope, geomorphology, distance to 20-m isobath, population, land use, cultural heritage and transportation. The geographic distribution of inundated areas at an SLR of .5 m revealed that the northern islands of Kuwait and coastal areas along Kuwait Bay would be highly impacted, whereas the coastal area near Shuaibah Port was the most influenced among the southern coasts. Most of the coastal area exhibited a moderate vulnerability to SLR, especially the northern islands. This study presented an initial vulnerability assessment for Kuwait coasts to SLR, which can be extended with more variables. The integrated remote sensing and geographic information system methodology demonstrated in this study can be applied in similar studies elsewhere.     

Outdoor recreation monitoring in coastal and marine areas – an overview of Nordic experiences and knowledge

This paper involves a collection and communication of important knowledge about and experiences with outdoor recreation monitoring in Nordic coastal and marine areas. This is a topic that so far has received little attention, especially among researchers and practitioners working with outdoor recreation monitoring in Nordic coastal and marine areas, who are in need of knowledge on the topic in order to advance monitoring activities and procedures. To remedy this situation, the purpose of this paper is to provide a knowledge base by listing and describing central literature contributions with important insight into outdoor recreation monitoring in Nordic coastal and marine areas. More specifically, this includes information about: (a) where important knowledge about outdoor recreation monitoring in Nordic coastal and marine areas can be found, (b) who the main contributors are and (c) what monitoring knowledge that has been reported so far. The paper also examines what tasks lie ahead for researchers and area managers in order to improve knowledge about outdoor recreation monitoring in Nordic coastal and marine areas. The paper is a central contribution and addition to manuals on outdoor recreation monitoring that are currently available in the Nordic countries.     

津冀海岸线现状、变化特征及保护建议

根据覆盖全区的3期遥感影像和实地调查,以及对滨海新区和滦河口2个典型区更深入的案例研究(包括回溯至1870年、1950年的基准岸线及逐年遥感信息),对津冀沿海海岸线现状进行解译和分类,并分析岸线变化特征及成因。津冀沿海现状岸线总长度894km,可以划分为自然岸线、半开发岸线和人工岸线3类,长度分别为90km、329km和475km。1950年以前为自然因素主导的岸线变化,1950年以后变为人类活动主导的岸线向海推进,逐渐加强的人类活动至2010年达到顶峰。在全球海面上升和区域地面下沉的大背景下,海岸线的自然演化趋势应该是向陆蚀退,但是人类活动主导的岸线变化却表现为违反自然趋势的向海推进。今后,向海推进最前沿的围海造陆区将受到来自海洋越来越强烈的影响,亟需加强监测和防护。兼顾环境保护与开发两方面的长远需求,建议赋予海岸线新的定义与内涵,划定岸线保护红线,恢复部分岸线的自然属性。