SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection SIT Study Abroad Spring 2013 Establishment of the Coral Sea Marine Reserve: An In-Depth Analysis of the Social And Environmental Impacts of an Ecosystem-Based Management Approach to Conservation Grace O’Connor SIT Study Abroad Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part of the Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, and the Sustainability Commons Recommended Citation O’Connor, Grace, "Establishment of the Coral Sea Marine Reserve: An In-Depth Analysis of the Social And Environmental Impacts of an Ecosystem-Based Management Approach to Conservation" (2013). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 1551. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/1551 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Establishment of the Coral Sea Marine Reserve: An in-depth analysis of the social and environmental impacts of an ecosystem-based management approach to conservation Grace O’Connor Project Advisor: Mariasole Bianco Protect Our Coral Sea Campaign / Cairns and Far North Environment Centre Cairns, QLD, Australia Academic Director: Tony Cummings Colby College Environmental Studies Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Australia: Rainforest, Reef, and Cultural Ecology, SIT Study Abroad, Spring 2013 1 ABSTRACT The proposed Coral Sea Marine Reserve covers approximately 989,842 square kilometers and is in an area that is internationally recognized for rich biodiversity, unique species and important heritage values. The reserve was established to protect and maintain biodiversity and to contribute to international (UNCED) and national obligations (EPBC, NRSMPA). This spatial protection is an ecosystem-based management approach calling for ecologically sustainable use of marine resources, as well as protection of many vulnerable and endangered species. The zoning of the Coral Sea Marine Reserve will drastically limit human use, most notably prohibiting fishing in the majority of the area. Extensive research has been done on the ecological and cultural values of the Coral Sea and therefore why it should be protected, yet it is also necessary to understand the environmental and social implications that the creation the marine reserve will have in order to determine if it is the best management option. In order to investigate these impacts, intensive interviews were conducted with ten individuals across five different stakeholder groups. It was found that, while the Reserve is not perfect, it does protect large portions of marine biodiversity and achieves its international and national obligations. 2 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4 1. INTRODUCTION 5 2. AIMS 6 2. CORAL SEA FEATURES 8 2.1 CONSERVATION VALUE 8 2.2 PHYSICAL FEATURES 9 3.POLICY CONTEXT 10 3.1 INTERNATIONAL 10 3.2 NATIONAL 12 3.3 STAKEHOLDERS 16 3.31 GOVERNMENT 16 3.32 CONSERVATION 16 3.33 SCIENCE 17 3.34 FISHING 17 3.35 DIVE TOURISM 18 4.1 GOALS OF THE RESERVE 18 4.11 STATED 18 4.12 CONSERVATION 19 4.13 SCIENCE 20 4.14 FISHING 21 4.15 DIVE TOURISM 22 4.2 ECOSYSTEM BASED MANAGEMENT AND THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE 22 4.21 STATED 22 4.22 CONSERVATION 24 4.23 SCIENCE 24 4.24 FISHING 25 4.25 DIVE TOURISM 26 4.3 OSPREY REEF 26 4.31 STATED 26 4.32 CONSERVATION 27 4.33 SCIENCE 28 4.34 FISHING 28 4.35 DIVE TOURISM 28 4.6 IS THE ZONING IN THE RIGHT AREAS? 29 4.61 STATED 29 4.62 CONSERVATION 30 4.63 SCIENCE 31 4.64 FISHING 32 4.7 FISHERIES MANAGEMENT 32 4.71 STATED 32 4.72 CONSERVATION 34 4.73 FISHING 35 5. CONCLUSIONS 36 6. REFERENCES 38 APPENDIX I 42 3 APPENDIX II 48 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I’d like to thank Mariasole Bianco, my advisor for helping me so much throughout the entire ISP process. I don’t know what I would have done without your advice on people to contact and your help in editing my paper. Additionally I would like to thank my Academic Director Tony Cummings and Jack Grant for all their help along the way, from helping me develop my project to giving me advice on how to structure my paper. Further, I would like to thank everyone who agreed to meet with me or helped me out along the way, particularly Dr. Daniela Ceccarelli, Dean Logan, Dr. Rob Beaman, Richard Fitzpatrick, John Rumney, Lyle Squire, Jo Harris, Belinda Jago, and Dr. Steve Sutton, without whom this project would not be possible. I would also like to thank Ben Neal and Dr. Loren McClenachan for answering my questions about fisheries. Finally I would like to thank Rachael, Dave, Darian, and Ronan Sellars for putting up with me during the entire ISP process and for being such incredible hosts. 4 1. INTRODUCTION The proposed Coral Sea Marine Reserve covers approximately 989,842 square kilometers and is in an area that is internationally recognized for rich biodiversity, unique species and important heritage values. The area is considered one of the most distinctive and undisturbed tropical marine ecosystems in the world, described by Environment Minister Tony Burke as the “jewel in the crown” of the National Representative System of Marine Reserves. In contains 49 different habitats and provides refuge for a wide range of threatened, migratory, and commercially valuable species (Ceccarelli 2011). The reserve was established to protect and maintain biodiversity and to contribute to the National Representative System of Marine Reserves in Australia (Zethoven 2008). This spatial protection is an ecosystem- based management approach calling for ecologically sustainable use of marine resources, as well as protection of many vulnerable and endangered species. As knowledge of the Coral Sea’s physical and ecological features is patchy, it is therefore extremely difficult to define the physical forces, evolutionary pathways, and adaptive mechanisms that have shaped the region’s ecosystems, and therefore even harder to predict the responses of these systems to future disturbances and pressures (Ceccarelli 2011). The Coral Sea Marine Reserve would safeguard the area and increase ecosystem tolerance to various unavoidable disturbances. The declaration of the existing Coral Sea Conservation Zone is a temporary measure that recognized the outstanding biological values of the Coral Sea and represents one of the only attempts to globally protect an oceanic pelagic system on a large scale (Ceccarelli 2011). While extensive research has been done on the cultural and ecological importance of the Coral Sea and therefore why it should be protected (Zethoven 2008, Ceccarelli 2011), it is necessary to understand the environmental and social implications that the creation of a marine reserve will have. The Coral Sea Marine Reserve will drastically limit human use, 5 most notably prohibiting fishing in the majority of the area. It has been determined that the best way to protect this area is through an ecosystem-based management approach employing the precautionary principle. Declining biodiversity reduces the capacity of ecosystems to withstand perturbations, and as systems are more degraded, large-scale protection will increase resilience to unavoidable stressors (SEWPaC 2012). With the creation of the National System of Marine Protected Areas in 1998, Australia has been working towards a representative system of reserves for more than a decade and made a global commitment to employ a system of marine reserves in Australia that would be representative, adequate, and comprehensive (Director of National Parks 2012). Australia is often seen as a leader in marine conservation, and this is something that is of national importance. While protecting biodiversity is ultimately the main goal of the marine reserve, it is also important to allow for sustainable use of the area as the more people who see the area, the more likely they are to care about it and want it protected. While stakeholders have had the opportunity to make submissions to the government regarding zoning, many are still extremely frustrated with the outcomes. 2. AIMS Despite the fact that the Coral Sea Marine Reserve (CSMR) would undoubtedly protect important marine ecosystems and features, there is great debate about how effective it will actually be, and whether it is the best management option. While the main goal of the Reserve is to protect biodiversity, there is some question as to whether it will actually do this. Additionally, the World Heritage status of the Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia’s most prized reefs, is in question. UNESCO recently released a report suggesting that the Great Barrier Reef may be placed on the World Heritage “in danger” list if the Federal and Queensland Governments fail to improve water quality, ensure legislative protection, and limit port development adjacent to the reef (WWF 2013). The Lonely Planet, a highly 6 influential guidebook, has also recently removed the Great Barrier Reef as one of the top ten diving destinations in the world (Parsons 2013). In spite of this, Australia is striving to once again be recognized as a world leader in marine conservation. While it is important to protect Australian waters from threats to biodiversity, it is unclear if science is truly the driving process of this policy regime, or whether it is largely a politicized process that strives to put Australia back in front, at the advantage of not only the biodiversity, but also the Australian people. This study aims to examine and analyze the environmental and social impacts of the Coral Sea Marine Reserve and determine if the Reserve, and its current zoning, would be the best management solution and truly the best option for Australia.