Jeffrey, C. F. G., Pittman, S. J., Clark, R., Monaco, M. E.

Integrated biogeographic assessments: Objective approaches for managing coastal resources and conserving biodiversity in small islands states

2014

NOAAs National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)

In Book of Abstracts. The 67th Annual Meeting of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute. Bridgetown, Barbados, November 3-7, 2014; hosted by the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES), University of the West Indies (UWI)

90-90

"Caribbean coral ecosystems have deteriorated and now exhibit reduced coral cover. Also, many reef-associated fishes and invertebrates that maintain reef productivity also support livelihoods, and they have become rare because of extractive multispecies fisheries. Moreover, these ecosystems are affected by synergistic stressors operating at spatial scales much broader than their islands political boundaries. Island governments are augmenting traditional fisheries regulations with marine protected areas (MPAs) to support alternative livelihoods and halt further degradation. Well designed and fully protected marine reserves have successfullyincreased the abundance and diversity of marine life inside their boundaries. However, MPA design and implementation often are driven by socio-political issues, and their long-term success often is hindered by a paucity of appropriately scaled data on coastal resources. We demonstrate the use of integrated biogeographic assessments to provide objective information frameworks for coastal management and long-term conservation. In the Florida Keys archipelago, we integrated secondary data on marine resources and human-uses to provide a systematic review of existing zoning regulations and inform conservation decisions. In Northwestern Hawaii Islands, we integrated disparate information on oceanography, seafloor habitats, and biological population distributions to support marine protection and the addition of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument to the United Nations World Heritage Site List. For the Channel Islands in southern California, we integrated information on oceanography, bathymetry, marine birds, fish, and invertebrates to evaluate six proposed management alternatives. These case-studies demonstrate that integrated biogeographic assessments are applicable for resource management and biodiversity conservation for Caribbean islands."

National Coral Reef Monitoring Plan (NCRMP); biological monitoring; integrated biogeographic assessment; marine protected area; resource management; coral reef; zoning

FY2014 CRCP Project ID 743; Project Title: National Coral Reef Monitoring Plan (NCRMP) Implementation (Biological Monitoring); Principal Investigator: Jessica Morgan