Cold-Water Coral Reefs: out of Sight
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(Ä,.- �··ß II MILJ0VERNDEPARTEMENTET �� UNEP WCMC Norwegian Ministry of the Environment WWF Cold-water coral reefs Out of sight - no longer out of mind Andre Freiwald, Jan Helge Fossa, Anthony Grehan, Tony Koslow and J. Murray Roberts <« t�J(/- ,� - UNEP WCMCM UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre Supporting organizations 219 Hunttngdon Road Oepartment of the Environment, Heritage an d Local Cambridge CB3 ODL Government Un,ted K,ngdom National Parks and W1ldl1te Service Tel: +44 IOl 1223 277314 7 Ely Place Fax +44 IOl 1223 277136 Dublin 2 Email: [email protected] Ire land Website: www.unep-wcmc.org http://www.env1ron.1e/OOEI/DDElhome.nsf Director: Mark Collins Norwegian Ministry of the En vironment Oepartmenl for Nature Management THE UNEP WoRLD CONSERVATION MONITORING CENTRE 15 the PO Box 8013 b1od1vers1ty assessment and pol,cy 1mplementat1on arm of the Dep. N-0030 Oslo Un,ted Nations Environment Programme IUNEPI. the world"s Norway foremost intergovernmental env,ronmental organizat,on. UNEP http://www.m1lJo.no WCMC a,ms to help dec1s1on makers recogntze the value of b1od1vers1ty to people everywhere, and to apply th1s knowledge to Defra all that they do. The Ce ntre's challenge 1s to transtorm complex Oepartment tor Environment, Food and Rural Affairs data ,nto pol1cy-relevant intormat1on, to bu1ld tools and systems Nobel House tor analys1s and 1ntegrat1on, and to support the needs ot na11ons 17 Sm1th Square and the 1nternat1onal community as they engage 1n JOtnt London SWl P 3JR programmes ot act,on. Untted K,ngdom http://www.detra.9ov.uk UNEP-WCMC prov1des obJect1ve, sc1ent1t1cally rigorous products and serv1ces that 1nclude ecosystem assessments, support for Joint Nature Conservation Committee 1mplementat1on of env1ronmental agreements, regional and Monkstone House global b1od1vers1ty 1nformat1on, research on env,ronmental City Road threats and 1mpacts, and development of future scenanos for the Peterborough PEl UY l1ving world. Un1ted K1ngdom http://www.Jncc .gov.uk © UK Department tor Environme nt, Food and Rural Affa1rs/lrish Oepartment of the Environment. Hentage and Local UNEP Coral Reet Unit (CRU] Government/UK J0tnt Nature Conservat1on Comm1ttee/ c/o UNEP World Conservat1on Monttonng Centre Norweg1an M1ntstry of the Env1ronment/UNEP/UNEP-WCMC/ 219 Hunt1ngdon Road WWF 2004 Cambridge CB3 ODL Un1ted Ktngdom C,tat,on: Freiwald, A. Fossa, J H., Grehan, A. Koslow, T. Roberts. JM Tel: [+4411223 277314 2004 Cold-water Coral Reets. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge, UK. Fax: 1+4411223 277136 http://corals .unep.org http://www.unep-wcmc.org URL: http://www.unep-wcmc.org/resources/publ1cat1ons/ UNEP_WCMC_bio_series/22.htm WWF Coral Reets Advocacy lnit1at1ve A Banson product,on Global Manne Programme UNEP-WCMC maps created by Connna Rav1l1ous, UNEP-WCMC WWF International Avenue du Mont-Blanc Pnnted tn the UK by Swatngrove lmagtng Gland 1196 Sw1tzerland The conlents of th1s report do not necessanly reflect the v1ews or pol1c1es http://wwwpanda.org/coral ol the Un1ted Nations Environment Programme. the UNEP World Conservat1on Mon1tonng Centre, or the supportrng organ1zat1ons The des1gnat1ons employed and the presentat1ons do not 1mply the express1ons of any opin1on whalsoever an lhe part of these organ,zations concern,ng the legal status of any country, temtory, c1ty or area or 1ts aulhonty. er concerning the detim1tat1on ol 1ts front1ers or boundaries Cold-water coral reefs Editors Acknowledgements Stefan Hain and Emily Corcoran Th1s report would not have been poss1ble w1thout the part1c1pat1on UNEP Coral Reet Un1t of many colleagues from the Institute of Paleontology, part1cularly Tim Beck, Jurgen T1tschack and Max W1sshak. We are grateful to Editorial Board Mark Tasker !Joint Nature Conservat1on Comm1ttee IJNCC]I for El1zabeth S1des, Department of the Environment, Hentage and rev1ew1ng the manuscnpt. Thanks also for add1t1onal material and Local Government, lreland 1nput to Peter Etnoyer !Manne Conservat1on B1ology Institute Mai Bntt Knoph, Norweg1an M1nistry of the Environment IMCBIII. Dorthea Hangaard IL1ving Oceans Soc1etyl. Michael Charlotte Johnston, Joint Nature Conservat1on Comm1ttee, UK H1rshf1eld IDceanal. Beth Lumsrlen !National Oceanic and S1an Owen, Global Manne Programme, WWF Atmosphenc Admin1strat1on INOAA]I. Ell1ot Norse IMCBII. Santi Roberts lüceanal. Carotine Turnbull IJNCCI. Oerek Fenton IDepartment of F1shenes and Oceans IOFOI. Canadal. Knstina Authors Gierde IIUCN-The World Conservat1on Union] and Martin W1ll1son IDalhous1e Un1vers1tyl. For prov1d,�g perm1ss1on to reproduce or to Andre Freiwald use 1mages, we are grateful to Allen Andrews IMoss Landingl. Institute of Paleontology IIPALI Amy Baco !Woods Hole Oceanograph1c lnst1tut1onl. Lyd1a Beuck Univers1ty of Erlangen-Nuremberg !Institute of Paleontology, Erlangen Un1vers1tyl. Andreas Beyer Loewenichstr. 28 !Alfred Wegner Institute for Polar and Manne Research, 91054 Erlangen Bremerhaven!. Altan Blacklock !National Institute of Water and Germany Atmosphenc Research INIWAI. New Zealandl. BP Plc, Sandra andre.f re 1wald@pa l. un1-erla ngen.de Oawn Brooke !Oregon Institute of Manne B1ologyl. Stephen Ca1rns ISm1thson1an lnst1tut1onl. the Conservat1on GIS Support Center Jan Helge Fossa IAnchoragel. ONO Heather Ltd, Laure Fourn1er IIFREMER IFrench Institute of Manne Research IIMR] Research Institute for Explo1tat1on of the Seal D1rectoratel. Donald PD Box 1870 Nordnes Gordon IOFO-Canada). Jean-P,erre Hennet (Univers,ty of Ghentl. N-5817 Bergen the JAGD-Team (Seewiesen, Germanyl. Cathy K1lroy INIWAI. Norway Tomas Lundalv IT1arno Manne B1olog1cal Laboratoryl. Charles [email protected] Messing lüceanograph1c Center, Nova Southeastern Univers1tyl. Conrad Neuman IUn1vers1ty of North Carolinal. the NOAA Ocean Anthony J. Grehan Explorer staff, Olaf Pfannkuche !Institute for Manne Research Department of Earth and Ocean Sc1ences GEOMARI. Rebecca Reuter !National Manne F1shenes Service). National Un1vers1ty of lreland the Reb1koff-N1ggeler Foundat1on IAzoresl. John Reed IHarbor Galway Branch Oceanograph1c lnst1tut1on IHBOl]I. Jim Re1d IDFO Ireland Canadal. Geoffrey Shester, Joe Shoulak IMCBII. Tom Sm0yer ant hony.g rehan@ nu 1ga lway.1e IHBOIJ and TerJe Thorsnes IGeolog1cal Survey of Norway INGU]J. The support of the International Gannet Assoc1at1on 1s J. Anthony Koslow apprec1ated. CSIRO Manne Research Perth, Western Australia Th1s report was supported by the Governments of lreland. Norway Pnvate Bag 5 and the United K1ngdom, as well as the World W1de Fund for Wembley, WA 6913 Nature IWWFI and the United Nations Environment Programme Austral1a IUNEPI. The ass1stance of representat1ves of these organizat1ons, [email protected] Elizabeth S1des llnsh Oepartment of the Environment, Hentage and Local Governmentl. Mai Bntt Knoph INorweg1an M1n1stry of J. Murray Roberts the Environment!. Charlotte Johnston (Joint Nature Conservat1on Scott1sh Assoc1at1on for Manne Sc1ence ISAMSI Comm1ttee, UKI. S1an Owen, Simon Cnpps and Charlotte Bre1de Dunstaffnage Manne Laboratory IWWFI. Stefan Hain and Em1ly Corcoran !UNEP Coral Reef Unitl. Oban. Argyll, PA37 10A as well as construct1ve input from the1r colleagues, espec1ally the United K1ngdom manne and coral reef experts at the UNEP World Conservat1on [email protected] Mon1t0nng Centre IUNEP-WCMC}. 1s also very much apprec1ated. Cold-water coral reefs Messages 'The planet's life-support systems are the source of stability for all peoples, all nations. Cold-water coral reefs are emerging as a new piece in this vital web of life which now requires our urgent attention.' Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director. UNEP 'These reefs are underwater oases, biological treasures and important habitats for fish. lt is amazing that such 'Cold-water coral reefs form a remarkable and truly major new discoveries can still be made. The reefs are valuable ecosystem oft our coasts which our nations slow grow1ng and extremely fragile, and must, as a must work together to protect.' matter of urgency, be protected from further damage.· Minister Martin Cullen, Oepartment of the Environment, Borge Brende. Minister of the Environment. Norway Heritage and Local Government, lreland 'At last, advanced science and world Leaders recognize 'Cold-water coral reefs are vitally important ecosystems, that the oceans' resources are finite and now require with immense biodiversity value; a treasure that must be thoughtful stewardship and intelligent management. We preserved for future generations. The UK has secured a call upon government and industry Leaders to take permanent ban on bottom trawling over Lophelia urgent action to conserve the spectacular and unique pertusa cold-water coral reefs in the Darwin Mounds ecosystems of cold-water coral reefs.' through action at European Commun1ty Level. However, further international cooperat1on is needed to conserve Dr Claude Martin, Director General, WWF International vulnerable marine ecosystems in areas beyond national jurisdiction.· Elliot Morley, Minister for Environment and Agri-Environment. Oefra, United Kingdom Cold-water coral reefs Foreword Only in the last 20 years has the sea 91ven up one of 1ts werk and that of others we now know that cold-water deepest secrets. Far beneath the sunl1t surface corals coral reefs are important and ancient reservoirs of thrive, close relatives of the species found along tropical marine biodiversity and are essential nursery habitats for shores and familiar to scuba divers the world over, but many commercially important fish species. We are also adapted to cold, dark, deep water. Found