Quantifying condition of coral reef communities in the Kahana and Honokahua Priority Watersheds, West Maui Project Information

Calender, Tova

Vargas-Angel, Bernardo

Maurin, Paulo

United States, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

Coral Reef Conservation Program (U.S.)

United States, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

Coral Reef Conservation Program (U.S.)

2018

The Hawaii Coral Reef Strategy identified the coral reef ecosystem along the West Maui watersheds (Ka’anapali to Honolua) as a State Priority Management Area. Coral reefs in the region are severely affected by sedimentation and siltation stress, due to excessive terrigenous runoff from prolonged and deficient land-use practices.

This project will address continue data collection in the W Maui area that have been the center of CRCP-supported monitoring efforts. Last year’s project “FY16 Quantifying condition of coral reef communities in the Kahana and Honokahua Priority Watersheds, West Maui (ID:31141)” succeeded in providing reef conditions in two of the 5 watersheds in W Maui, and overall coral reef fish and benthic assemblages in the W Maui priority area. Previously, CRCP funded the FY14 project “Determining the efficacy of watershed management activities in the Wahikuli and Honokowai watersheds, West Maui (ID 1077)” which provided sediment loading dynamics for two of the five watersheds. Thus, there is a baseline for corals, fish, and benthic habitat already established, and partial sediment data for the two southern watersheds, but the area is missing critical sediment data for three of the five watersheds. This project will address this data gap in the missing northern three watersheds, plus provide additional data in the two southern watersheds, filling in the picture of sediment loading. By the end of this project, we will have a fuller understanding of coral reef communities and benthic assemblages, plus sediment loading, across the entire priority area.

Benthos

Coral reef conservation

Coral reef ecology

Effect of sediments on

Fishes

Runoff

Watershed hydrology

Watershed restoration

Maui (Hawaii)

CoRIS (Coral Reef Information System)

Professional Paper

The Hawaii Coral Reef Strategy identified the coral reef ecosystem along the West Maui watersheds (Ka’anapali to Honolua) as a State Priority Management Area. Coral reefs in the region are severely affected by sedimentation and siltation stress, due to excessive terrigenous runoff from prolonged and deficient land-use practices.

This project will address continue data collection in the W Maui area that have been the center of CRCP-supported monitoring efforts. Last year’s project “FY16 Quantifying condition of coral reef communities in the Kahana and Honokahua Priority Watersheds, West Maui (ID:31141)” succeeded in providing reef conditions in two of the 5 watersheds in W Maui, and overall coral reef fish and benthic assemblages in the W Maui priority area. Previously, CRCP funded the FY14 project “Determining the efficacy of watershed management activities in the Wahikuli and Honokowai watersheds, West Maui (ID 1077)” which provided sediment loading dynamics for two of the five watersheds. Thus, there is a baseline for corals, fish, and benthic habitat already established, and partial sediment data for the two southern watersheds, but the area is missing critical sediment data for three of the five watersheds. This project will address this data gap in the missing northern three watersheds, plus provide additional data in the two southern watersheds, filling in the picture of sediment loading. By the end of this project, we will have a fuller understanding of coral reef communities and benthic assemblages, plus sediment loading, across the entire priority area.

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/20227