News Section | Marine Biology
Bleached coral reefs’ recovery directly linked to human environmental factors
Coral reefs are very resilient and can bounce back magnificently if subjected to good management practices, a new research by a team of scientists recording the long term recovery of coral reefs in Palau, has revealed.
“It appears that coral reefs are very resilient and can bounce back magnificently if subjected to good management practices and 10 years or so of pristine conditions. Reefs off Palau, Micronesia, have recovered surprisingly well from a 1998 “bleaching” event, caused by high sea water temperatures. The rare piece of good news in the problem of climate change is that good local management practices might aid recovery of coral reefs,” said Robert van Woesik, one of the authors of the study.
Van Woesik, a professor of biological sciences at Florida Institute of Technology, and his team, used underwater digital video cameras to examine the recovery rates of reefs in Palau at 13 different sites during three different periods following the 1998 bleaching late 2001/early 2002, late 2002/early 2003, and late 2004/early 2005.
They found that the recovery rates had increased over time. Notably, sheltered bay areas, which suffered less in 1998, appeared to support the recovery of outer-reef, “wave-exposed sites”, by providing a supply of coral larvae to the damaged reefs.
The researchers also found that recovery rates were significantly higher between 2002 and 2004 than between 2001-2002.
According to Prof. van Woesik, as Micronesia is at a great distance from large human population, the coral recovery rate is directly linked to human environmental factors, which he believes, is a promising sign for recovery in other regions.
“Factors such as river pollution, sedimentation, and use changes ‘such as fishing pressures’ are all controllable factors. They’re added to global effects of greenhouse gas emissions that affect climate change. The take-home message is that we can accelerate the recovery rate of coral reefs by adapting human behaviour and reducing local pressure on reefs; this research provides encouragement and incentive for local management,” said Prof. van Woesik.
“Clearly, action is required at both ends of the political spectrum both globally to reduce greenhouse emissions, but also locally to enhance reef resilience,” he said.
The study appears in the April 2007 issue of Coral Reefs. (ANI)
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