Conservation and management of coral reefs

Rehana Raj
I.Ph.D
DFK 1307
College of Fisheries
Mangalore
jitenderanduat@gmail.com

Introduction
 Referred as ‘rainforests of the sea’- diverse ecosystem
 Occupy less than 1% of the world ocean surface
 Home for 25% of the all marine species
 Annual global economic value- US$ 375 billion

 Prevent sediments from washing up & damaging the
shoreline
 Act as physical barrier; creates healthier, protected
coastline habitat

 Sequesters CO₂, create an environment which attract
marine biodiversity
 Provides economic benefits
 Harvested for medicinal & jewellery purposes

 Critical habitats essential for the maintenance of
biodiversity
 Tourism (generation of foreign exchange)

 Support a variety of commercial and artisanal
fisheries
 Attract millions of scuba divers, snorkelers, and other
tourists every year

Common threat to coral reefs
 Anchors
 Ship groundings
 Divers and snorkelers
 Coastal development
 Collecting

 Pollution, silting from land-based construction, and fertilizer
runoff have led to damage to coral reefs
 Reef organisms are also damaged or killed by heavy metals,
pesticides, and oil

 Rising sea temperatures from global warming can also
destroy corals, which may otherwise destroys the
symbiotic relationship between zooxanthellae
 Hurricanes and earthquakes, which can also lead to
significant damage to the reefs

 Long term temperature changes, or changing rainfall
patterns
 Changes in sea level can lead to the destruction of
coral reefs

 Coral bleaching; individual polyps spit out their symbiotic
algae
 Discharge of nutrient-rich waste water (sewage, fertilizers,
pesticides) into marine environments may lead to explosive
algal growth; thick algal mats can smother the reef

 Thermal pollution: power plant discharge of heated
water is another major threat
 Sedimentation: rains will carry loads of sediments
directly to the sea
 Disease: this is another major outbreak that limits the
growth of coral reefsjitenderanduat@gmail.com

 Overfishing: particularly using habitat-destructive methods;
explosives are sometimes used to stun and kill fish
 Chemical poisons (including bleaches and soaps)

 Boating : physical contact involving collision with or
anchoring on live coral
 Fishing and Collecting: In many geographic areas, reef
fishes are a significant source of food, collection of fishes
by blast fishing & cyanide fishing is harmful
 Alteration of coastline habitats, such as cutting of
mangroves, and other coastal habitats.

National & International
Regulations
 Corals should not be collected, either alive or dead
from wild
 The United States federal government prohibits the
removal or destruction of corals from all areas of the
continental shelf within a three-mile limit

 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
prohibits the collection of living or dead stony corals
(Order Scleractinia) or fire corals (Millepora spp.) within
Florida waters
 Collection of hard corals is also banned in Hawaii, Guam,
and Puerto Rico.

 The Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates
international trade of certain vulnerable corals as well as fish
species
 Indo-Pacific blue coral (Heliopora coerulea; Family
Helioporidae, Order Helioporacea)

 Organ-pipe coral (Tubipora musica; Family
Tubiporidae, Order Stolonifera
 All corals in the Order Scleractinia (1634 species of
reef- building, stony corals)
 All corals in the order Antipatharia (245 species of
black corals)

Protection the coral reefs
 The establishment of marine sanctuaries or preserves
 The Australian government established the Great Barrier
Reef Marine Park in 1975
 The Great Barrier Reef was designated as an UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1981, providing further protection to this
2,300 km (1,430 mi) long coral reef system

 In United States, the NOAA National Marine
Sanctuary system is composed of 14 federally-
protected underwater regions
 Including more than 1,50,000 square miles of ocean
and Great Lakes waters

International Sanctuaries which
protect coral reefs
 Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
 Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (Gulf of
Mexico)
 Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine
Sanctuary (Hawaii)
 Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary (American Samoa)

Conservation and Management of
Coral Reefs in India
 Ministry of Environment & Forests has been identified as
the nodal agency for conservation and management of coral
reefs as per the Allocation of Business Rules
 National Committee on Wetlands, Mangroves and Coral
Reefs was constituted in 1986

 Established Indian Coral Reef Monitoring
Network (ICRMN)
 National Coral Reef Research Centre at Port Blair
• Coral Reefs in Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu) and
Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been declared as
Biosphere Reserve

 Implementation of Management Action Plans on
identified coral reef areas, training and capacity
building in taxonomy, bio-physical methods and scuba
diving
 Establishment of Database Network and Website on
Coral Reefs

 The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification (1991)
issued by Government of India under the Dredging and
underwater blasting in and around coral formations is also
prohibited
 The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 : All Reef-building,
Fire and Sea Fan Corals put in Schedule-I of the Act
(Prohibited from exploitation)

 Implementation of UNDP-PDF-B Project on Management of
Coral Reefs in Andamans
 Implementation of India-Australia Training and Capacity
Building (IATCB) Project on Coral Reefs

 Establishment of National Focal Points of Global Coral
Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), International
Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) and Coral Reef
Degradation in Indian Ocean (CORDIO) are jointly
contributing for the conservation of coral reefs

 CRZ have constituted National Coastal Zone
Management Authority (NCZMA) at the Centre,
and 13 CZMAs at States/Union Territories
 Formulation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management
Plans (ICZMP) by Coastal States

Marine National Parks
 Six Marine National Parks
 Gulf of Mannar
 Gulf of Kutch
 Bhitarkanika National Park
 Mahatma Gandhi Wandoor National Park,
 Rani Jhansi Marine National Park
 Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary
 The largest MNP is the the Gulf of Mannar (10,500 sq.
kms)

Precautions to be taken
 Tourists should make sure not to sit on, stand on, or
even touch live coral
 Divers or snorkelers should rest by floating or standing
on the sandy bottom near the coral reefs

 Should be very careful not to grab on to any coral
formations
 Take photos of coral reefs rather than collecting dead
or living coral, which damages the reef and is
prohibited in many areas.

 Boaters should take care when navigating around the
coral reefs
 Anchors shouldn't be dropped directly on the reef, but
on a near-by sandy area

 Purchase fish that have been aquarium raised rather
than collecting from the wild
 WHAT CAN WE DO TO SUSTAIN CORAL REEFS?
 Laws need to be strictly enforced
 Building artificial reefs (in-situ/transplanted)
 Focus on prevention and not just restoration

THANK YOU

Conservation and management of coral reefs

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