DOCSLIB.ORG

The Coral Triangle Atlas: an Integrated Online Spatial Database System for Improving Coral Reef Management

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Coral Triangle Atlas: an Integrated Online Spatial Database System for Improving Coral Reef Management University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts 2014 The orC al Triangle Atlas: An Integrated Online Spatial Database System for Improving Coral Reef Management Annick Cros The Nature Conservancy Nurulhuda Ahamad Fatan WorldFish Centre Alan White The Nature Conservancy Shwu Jiau Teoh WorldFish Centre Stanley Tan WorldFish Centre See next page for additional authors Publication Details Cros, A., Fatan, N. Ahamad., White, A., Teoh, S. Jiau., Tan, S., Handayani, C., Huang, C., Peterson, N., Li, R. Venegas., Siry, H. Yusran., Fitriana, R., Gove, J., Acoba, T., Knight, M., Acosta, R., Andrew, N. & Beare, D. (2014). The orC al Triangle Atlas: An Integrated Online Spatial Database System for Improving Coral Reef Management. PLoS One, 9 (6), e96332-1-e96332-7. Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] The orC al Triangle Atlas: An Integrated Online Spatial Database System for Improving Coral Reef Management Abstract In this paper we describe the construction of an online GIS database system, hosted by WorldFish, which stores bio-physical, ecological and socio-economic data for the 'Coral Triangle Area' in South-east Asia and the Pacific. The ad tabase has been built in partnership with all six (Timor-Leste, Malaysia, Indonesia, The Philippines, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea) of the Coral Triangle countries, and represents a valuable source of information for natural resource managers at the regional scale. Its utility is demonstrated using biophysical data, data summarising marine habitats, and data describing the extent of marine protected areas in the region. Keywords improving, coral, management, triangle, atlas:, reef, integrated, system, online, spatial, database Disciplines Arts and Humanities | Law Publication Details Cros, A., Fatan, N. Ahamad., White, A., Teoh, S. Jiau., Tan, S., Handayani, C., Huang, C., Peterson, N., Li, R. Venegas., Siry, H. Yusran., Fitriana, R., Gove, J., Acoba, T., Knight, M., Acosta, R., Andrew, N. & Beare, D. (2014). The orC al Triangle Atlas: An Integrated Online Spatial Database System for Improving Coral Reef Management. PLoS One, 9 (6), e96332-1-e96332-7. Authors Annick Cros, Nurulhuda Ahamad Fatan, Alan White, Shwu Jiau Teoh, Stanley Tan, Christian Handayani, Charles Huang, Nate Peterson, Ruben Venegas Li, Hendra Yusran Siry, Ria Fitriana, Jamison Gove, Tomoko Acoba, Maurice Knight, Renerio Acosta, Neil L. Andrew, and Doug Beare This journal article is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/lhapapers/3275 The Coral Triangle Atlas: An Integrated Online Spatial Database System for Improving Coral Reef Management Annick Cros1, Nurulhuda Ahamad Fatan2, Alan White1, Shwu Jiau Teoh2, Stanley Tan2, Christian Handayani3, Charles Huang4, Nate Peterson5, Ruben Venegas Li2, Hendra Yusran Siry6, Ria Fitriana7, Jamison Gove8, Tomoko Acoba8, Maurice Knight9, Renerio Acosta10, Neil Andrew2, Doug Beare2* 1 Indo-Pacific Division, The Nature Conservancy, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, 2 Natural Resources Management, Worldfish, Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia, 3 Coral Triangle Program, WWF-Indonesia, South Jakarta, Indonesia, 4 Coral Triangle Program, WWF-United States, Washington, DC, United States, 5 Indo-Pacific Division, The Nature Conservancy, Queensland, Australia, 6 Coordination and External Affairs, Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs and Food Security, Jakarta, Indonesia, 7 The Coral Triangle Center, Bali, Indonesia, 8 Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, 9 Coral Triangle Support Partnership, WWF-Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia, 10 Regional Environment Office, United States Agency for International Development Regional Development Mission for Asia, Bangkok, Thailand Abstract In this paper we describe the construction of an online GIS database system, hosted by WorldFish, which stores bio-physical, ecological and socio-economic data for the ‘Coral Triangle Area’ in South-east Asia and the Pacific. The database has been built in partnership with all six (Timor-Leste, Malaysia, Indonesia, The Philippines, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea) of the Coral Triangle countries, and represents a valuable source of information for natural resource managers at the regional scale. Its utility is demonstrated using biophysical data, data summarising marine habitats, and data describing the extent of marine protected areas in the region. Citation: Cros A, Ahamad Fatan N, White A, Teoh SJ, Tan S, et al. (2014) The Coral Triangle Atlas: An Integrated Online Spatial Database System for Improving Coral Reef Management. PLoS ONE 9(6): e96332. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0096332 Editor: Fabiano Thompson, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Received January 3, 2014; Accepted April 7, 2014; Published June 18, 2014 Copyright: ß 2014 Cros et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: The CT Atlas (http://ctatlas.reefbase.org) was developed as a partnership between WorldFish, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The design and development of the CT Atlas was supported primarily by the U.S. Government through the 5-year (2009–2013) Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) in cooperation with other implementing partners of the US Coral Triangle Support Program (USCTI). The production of the current manuscript was also supported by the CGIAR Research Programs on: Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS); and Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * Email: [email protected] Introduction Overfishing threatens the food security of its coastal communities [7], mangroves are being cleared for firewood, aquaculture and The Coral Triangle (CT) is located in South-east Asia and the hotels, while the corals themselves are under threat from Pacific, and encompasses the beautiful, tropical marine waters of increasing sea temperatures [8,9], sea level rise and ocean Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon acidification [10]. Lack of effective marine spatial plans, and Islands and Timor-Leste (The CT6, Fig. 1). It is recognized by the uncontrolled coastal development are the main threats to the scientific community as the global centre of marine biological Coral Triangle’s reefs. species diversity supporting [1,2], for example, more than 605 The area is particularly difficult to manage, however, because it species of reef-building corals; 15 of which are regional endemics falls under the remit of six national jurisdictions and many more [3]. This amounts to 76% of the global total species complement sub-national jurisdictions and governance processes. In recognis- of corals, giving it the world’s highest conservation priority [4]. It is ing this fundamental problem, the leaders of all six countries in the estimated that more than 395 million people live in the Coral Coral Triangle (CT6) region came together to form the Coral Triangle, 130 million of which directly depend on these resources Triangle Initiative for Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security for their livelihoods and well-being. Dependency on coastal and (CTI-CFF). Its express purpose is to safeguard the livelihoods of marine resources is especially true for those living in coastal the communities that depend on its coastal resources: a key communities [5] where, in some cases, up to 90% of protein uptake can be from fish [6]. The area attracts millions of tourists component of which is how to manage the exploitation of these each year who take advantage of its pristine marine parks, nature resources sustainably. reserves, famous dive sites, and beaches. The area is also an The CTI-CFF, which was originally promoted by the President important nursery ground for both fish, and shellfish, which in of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is clearly an important turn support valuable commercial fisheries. The Coral Triangle is step towards more effective management and conservation of the currently facing diverse threats connected with rapidly growing Coral Triangle area. The CTI-CFF is an inter-governmental human populations, and associated economic development. Agreement among the six Coral Triangle countries that is based on a PLOS ONE | www.plosone.org 1 June 2014 | Volume 9 | Issue 6 | e96332 The Coral Triangle Atlas for Coral Reef Management ing the CTI-CFF. Ultimately this will enhance the credibility of the CT Atlas among relevant managers, scientists and policy makers in the region, leading to improved conservation and management of its natural resources. Methods Technical specifications The CT Atlas website is hosted by ReefBase (http://www. reefbase.org) in a ‘cloud’ service provided by Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) (http://aws.amazon.com/ec2). It uses Microsoft ASP.NET web application framework as the ‘web development tool’ with Microsoft’s SQL Server as the backend database.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • State of the Coral Triangle: Solomon Islands
    State of the Coral Triangle: Solomon Islands One of a series of six reports on the status of marine resources in the western Pacific Ocean, the State of the Coral Triangle: Solomon Islands describes the biophysical characteristics of Solomon Islands’ coastal and marine ecosystems, the manner in which they are being exploited, the framework in place that governs their use, the socioeconomic characteristics of the communities that use them, and the environmental threats posed by the manner in which STATE OF THE CORAL TRIANGLE: they are being used. It explains the country’s national plan of action to address these threats and improve marine resource management. Solomon Islands About the Asian Development Bank ADB’s vision is an Asia and Pacific region free of poverty. Its mission is to help its developing member countries reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their people. Despite the region’s many successes, it remains home to approximately two-thirds of the world’s poor: 1.6 billion people who live on less than $2 a day, with 733 million struggling on less than $1.25 a day. ADB is committed to reducing poverty through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Based in Manila, ADB is owned by 67 members, including 48 from the region. Its main instruments for helping its developing member countries are policy dialogue, loans, equity investments, guarantees, grants, and technical assistance. Asian Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines www.adb.org Printed on recycled paper Printed in the Philippines STATE OF THE CORAL TRIANGLE: Solomon Islands © 2014 Asian Development Bank All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • The AREA's RICHNESS
    The AREA’S RICHNESS hile there is little doubt that the Coral Triangle is the richest marine environment on the planet, the reasons for the richness are hotly debated. Is it because Wthe richest taxonomic groups originated in the Coral Triangle and dispersed to the rest of the world? Or is it because of the overlap of flora and fauna from the West Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean? As it turns out, the only thing that is clear is that the reasons for the area’s richness are complex and no single model explains it all. Some of the many factors that influence the diversity of the Coral Triangle are the geological history of the region, including plate tectonics and sea-level fluctuations; how species disperse and the factors that facilitate or inhibit dispersal; general biogeographic patterns and evolutionary forces. The tropics are generally more species rich than temperate and polar areas particularly because of the constant sunlight regime and weather stability. Without a winter period, organisms can flourish year round and put more energy into specialization than into preparing for long periods with reduced sunlight. This is as true in the marine realm as it is in the forests, where light and relatively constant warm water temperatures persist throughout the year. However, coastal tropical waters are relatively nutrient poor. The annual changes in water temperatures of the temperate and polar seas produce mixing when the surface waters cool and sink to the bottom. The displaced bottom waters, rich with dead plankton that has sank to the depths, are forced to the surface and result in Due to ocean circulation patterns and the rotation of the Earth, As the glaciers melted and sea levels rose, the newly evolved species huge explosions of zooplankton and fish populations.
    [Show full text]
  • Delineating the Coral Triangle
    Galaxea, Journal of Coral Reef Studies 11: 91-100（2009） Original paper Delineating the Coral Triangle J.E.N. VERON1, 2, *, Lyndon M. DEVANTIER1, 2, Emre TURAK1, 2, Alison L. GREEN3, Stuart KININMONTH2, Mary STAFFORD-SMITH1, and Nate PETERSON3 1 Coral Reef Research, 10 Benalla Road, Oak Valley, Townsville 4811, Australia 2 Australian Institute of Marine Science, MSO Townsville 4811, Australia 3 The Nature Conservancy, 51 Edmondstone Street, South Brisbane 4101, Australia * Corresponding author: J.E.N. Veron E­mail: [email protected] Communicated by Makoto Tsuchiya Abstract Spatial analyses of coral distributions at spe- Introduction cies level delineate the Coral Triangle and provide new insights into patterns of diversity and endemism around “If we look at a globe or a map of the Eastern Hemi­ the globe. This study shows that the Coral Triangle, an sphere, we shall perceive between Asia and Australia a area extending from the Philippines to the Solomon number of large and small islands, forming a connected Islands, has 605 zooxanthellate corals including 15 re- group distinct from those great masses of land and having gional endemics. This amounts to 76% of the world’s total little connexion with either of them. Situated upon the species complement, giving this province the world’s equator, and bathed in the tepid water of the great tropical highest conservation priority. Within the Coral Triangle, oceans, this region enjoys a climate more uniformly hot highest richness resides in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of and moist than almost any other part of the globe, and Indonesian Papua which hosts 574 species, with indi- teems with natural productions which are elsewhere vidual reefs supporting up to 280 species ha−1.
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide for Vulnerability Assessment and Local Early Action Planning
    Climate Change Adaptation for Coral Triangle Communities: A Guide for Vulnerability Assessment and Local Early Action Planning (LEAP Guide) The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, NOAA or the US Government. This publication may be reproduced or quoted in other publications as long as proper reference is made to the source. The recommended citation is listed below. The U.S. Coral Triangle Initiative (US CTI) Support Program was established through the support of the U.S. Government to assist the leadership of the Coral Triangle countries to take action to maintain the coral reefs, fisheries, and food security of the Coral Triangle. US CTI is a coordinated effort of the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP, a consortium of World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Conservation International (CI), and The Nature Conservancy); the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the U.S. Department of State; and other partners. Spearheaded by the U.S. Agency for International Development Regional Development Mission Asia in collaboration with USAID/ Indonesia, USAID/ Philippines, and USAID/ Timor-Leste, the program assists the six countries of the Coral Triangle and the CTI Regional Secretariat to implement their Regional and National Plans of Action through technical assistance and capacity-building, and access to cutting-edge science. US CTI Support Program Document No. 11-USCTI-13 Suggested citation: U.S. Coral Triangle Initiative Support Program. (2013). Climate Change Adaptation for Coral Triangle Communities: Guide for Vulnerability Assessment and Local Early Action Planning (LEAP Guide). Prepared with support from the United States Agency for International Development.
    [Show full text]
  • Identifying Gaps in the Coral Triangle Marine.Indd
    IDENTIFYING GAPS IN THE CORAL TRIANGLE MARINE PROTECTED AREA SYSTEM AS CONSERVATION PRIORITIES This publication was prepared in cooperation with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership (2013) Cover photo: © Maria Beger IDENTIFYING GAPS IN THE CORAL TRIANGLE MARINE PROTECTED AREA SYSTEM AS CONSERVATION PRIORITIES October 2013 USAID Project Number GCP LWA # LAG-A-00-99-00048-00 Citation: Beger, M., J. McGowan, S. F. Heron, E. A. Treml, A. Green, A. T. White, N. H., Wolff, K. Hock, R. van Hooidonk, P. J. Mumby, and H. P. Possingham. 2013. Identifying conservation priority gaps in the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System. Coral Triangle Support Program of USAID, The Nature Conservancy, and The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. This is a publication of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF). Funding for the preparation of this document was provided by the USAID-funded Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP). CTSP is a consortium led by the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and Conservation International with funding support from the United States Agency for International Development’s Regional Asia Program. For more information on the six-nation Coral Triangle Initiative, please contact: Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security Interim Regional Secretariat Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia Mina Bahari Building II, 17th Floor Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur No 16 Jakarta Pusat 10110 Indonesia www.thecoraltriangleintitiave.org © 2011 Coral Triangle Support Partnership.
    [Show full text]
  • State of the Coral Triangle Report
    oceans. All the main islands are volcanic in Executive Summary origin and are surrounded by barrier, patch, lagoonal, and fringing reefs. !us, the !e Solomon Islands National Plan of Action smaller islands are mostly raised coral (SI-NPOA): Coral Triangle Initiative on islands and atolls. Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security State of the (CTI-CFF) provides visionary guidance for !e climate in the Solomon Islands is the management of coral reefs and related characterized by a wet and a dry season. !e ecosystems in the Solomon Islands (Ministry mean temperature experienced all year round Coral of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster is 27°C (80°F), but with a few extremes of Management and Meteorology and warm and cold temperatures. !e southeast trade winds (ara) blow continuously with Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, varying intensity during April to November, Triangle 2010). It is consistent with the CTI Regional while winds blow from west to northwest Plan of Action (RPOA), but also incorporates (koburu) from November to April. Tropical local situations and circumstances. Related cyclones and consequent strong winds are Report national initiatives, such as the Strategy for likely to occur from November to April. the Management of Inshore Fisheries and Marine Resources (Ministry of Fisheries and HIGHLIGHTS Marine Resources, 2010), complement the Biodiversity of coastal and actions outlined in the SI-NPOA. Another marine ecosystems important national initiative that !e Solomon Islands have one of the most complements the CTI NPOA is the diverse coral reef systems in the world. National Biodiversity Strategic and Action Such diversity is attributed to the highly Plan 2009.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancestral Genetic Diversity Associated with the Rapid Spread of Stress-Tolerant Coral Symbionts in Response to Holocene Climate Change
    Ancestral genetic diversity associated with the rapid spread of stress-tolerant coral symbionts in response to Holocene climate change Benjamin C. C. Humea, Christian R. Voolstrab, Chatchanit Arifb, Cecilia D’Angeloa,c, John A. Burtd, Gal Eyale,f, Yossi Loyae, and Jörg Wiedenmanna,c,1 aCoral Reef Laboratory, Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom; bRed Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; cInstitute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom; dMarine Biology Laboratory, Centre for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates; eDepartment of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; and fThe Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Eilat 8810369, Israel Edited by Nancy Knowlton, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, and approved March 3, 2016 (received for review February 4, 2016) Coral communities in the Persian/Arabian Gulf (PAG) withstand change from cooler and moister to warmer and more arid, reaching unusually high salinity levels and regular summer temperature today’s conditions only ∼4,000 y ago (8–10). Hence, the coral maxima of up to ∼35 °C that kill conspecifics elsewhere. Due to the communities of the PAG, composed mostly of a subset of Indian recent formation of the PAG and its subsequent shift to a hot cli- Ocean species (11), have had to adjust rapidly to temperatures not mate, these corals have had only <6,000 y to adapt to these ex- expected to occur in other parts of the world’soceansbeforethe treme conditions and can therefore inform on how coral reefs may next century (12).
    [Show full text]
  • Aquarium Protection of Climate Resilient Corals Workshop Report
    AQUARIUM PROTECTION OF CLIMATE RESILIENT CORALS Report from a Workshop Co-Convened by The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) Trust The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Aquarium of the Pacific Hosted by the Aquarium of the Pacific December 18-19, 2018 Prepared by Anne L. Cohen, PhD Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sandy Trautwein, PhD Aquarium of the Pacific Jerry R. Schubel, PhD Aquarium of the Pacific Acknowledgements We thank Linda Brown and Adina Metz for the logistical support so necessary to the effective organization and conduct of the workshop. We thank Kim Thompson and Nathaniel Mollica for note-taking, and we thank Jack Lawson for AV support. We thank the Aquarium of the Pacific for providing the bulk of the support for the workshop including travel and living expenses for all of the participants, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, National Science Foundation and Atlantic Donor Advised Fund for providing Anne Cohen’s support for her role in developing and co- chairing the workshop, and writing this report. Overview On December 18-19, 2018 the Phoenix Island Protected Area (PIPA) Trust, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Aquarium of the Pacific co- convened a workshop on Super Corals at the Aquarium of the Pacific. The working definition of Super Corals for the workshop was that Super Corals are coral holobionts that have demonstrated the ability to tolerate or to recover from stress better than the population average, and to successfully reproduce post-stress. We use the term “resilient” to include both the ability to resist stress and to recover from it.
    [Show full text]
  • The State of the Coral Triangle in Indonesia
    THE STATE OF THE CORAL TRIANGLE IN INDONESIA Coral Triangle Marine Resources: Their Status, Economies, and Management Dr. Dirhamsyah National Coordination Unit Indonesian CTI-CFF 12th International Coral Reef Symposium 9-13 July 2012. Cairns. Queensland. Australia 1. Physical Characteristics 2. Biological Characteristics 3. Governance 4. Socio-Economic Characteristics 5. Threats and Vulnerabilities 6. The Indonesian CTI National Plan of Actions 7. Conclusions and Recommendations Outline BIOPHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC/1 n National Jurisdiction : 7.73 million km2 n Total land area : 1.93 million km2 n Total Sea area : 5.80 million km2 n Archipelagic water : 2.80 million km2 n Teritorial sea (12 miles) : 0.30 million km2 n Economic Exclusive Zone : 2.70 million km2 n Number of Island : 18,110 Islands n Total shoreline : 108,920 km n Length: west – east : 5,200 km North - south : 1,760 km INDONESIA • Indonesian archipelago - complex geological setting. • Extensive shelves, deep-sea basins, trenches, and submarine volcanoes • Tectonically - highly unstable • Pacific Ring of Fire : Indo-Australian Plate & Pacific Plate pushed under the Eurasian Plate melt about 100 km deep Tsunamis and Earthquakes • World leading in volcano statistics • 400 volcanoes - approximately 150 active • Climate - almost entirely tropical. • Average temperature (coastal plains )-28°C • Humidity: 62–81%. Geological Setting and Climate • Seas tidal phenomena among the most complex in the world. • Surface current strongly influenced by Pacific Ocean circulation rather than the Indian Ocean. • The Indonesian archipelago The great ocean conveyor belt important role in global water mass transport Pacific to Indian Ocean: the Indonesian Through Flow (ITF) or Arlindo. • a “maritime continent” along with equatorial Africa and South America.
    [Show full text]
  • Coral Triangle Day Frequently Asked Questions
    Coral Triangle Day Frequently Asked Questions 1. What is the Coral Triangle? The Coral Triangle is one of the three great ecological complexes on the planet, together with the Congo Basin and the Amazon Rainforest. It is a vast ocean expanse that geographically spreads across six countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste (CT6 countries). 2. Why is the Coral Triangle important? The Coral Triangle is the nursery of the seas, which provides spawning grounds and migratory routes for commercially-valuable open ocean species such as tuna. This center of marine life hosts 76% of the world’s coral species and 37% of the world’s reef fish species and shelters thousands of whales, dolphins, rays, sharks and 6 of the world’s 7 species of marine turtles. It is an underwater treasure trove that directly sustains the lives of more than 120 million people who heavily depend on marine resources for food and income. 3. What are the threats to the Coral Triangle? Coastal development, destructive fishing, overfishing, unsustainable tourism and climate change are taking a heavy toll and, if left unchecked, will cause the collapse of this world’s most remarkable coral reef ecosystem. 4. What is the Coral Triangle Day? The Coral Triangle Day is envisioned to be an annual, open-sourced event that brings together individuals, organizations, and establishments on one special day of the year to shed light on ocean conservation and the numerous ways to protect and conserve the Coral Triangle. The event will be celebrated in several beaches around the Coral Triangle region through numerous activities including but not limited to: beach clean-ups; sustainable seafood dinners and exhibitions; bazaars; and beach parties, among others—all carrying the message of ocean conservation under the overall banner of the Coral Triangle Day.
    [Show full text]
  • WRI) in Close Collaboration with the USAID-Funded Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP)
    CONTRIBUTING INSTITUTIONS Reefs at Risk Revisited in the Coral Triangle was developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in close collaboration with the USAID-funded Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP). This report was adapted from WRI’s 2011 global analysis of threats to coral reefs, Reefs at Risk Revisited, produced in partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the WorldFish Center, the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN), the United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), and the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN). Many other government agencies, international organizations, research institutions, universities, non-governmental organizations and initiatives provided scientific guidance, contributed data, and reviewed results for these reports, including: n Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) n Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation (CCEF) n Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO) n Conservation International (CI) n Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) n Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) n Healthy Reefs for Healthy People n International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS) n International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) n L’Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) n National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) n Oceana 10 G Street, NE n Planetary Coral Reef Foundation Washington, DC 20002, USA n Project AWARE Foundation wri.org n Reef Check n Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) n SeaWeb n Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Reefs at Risk n Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) n U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) n U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • The Coral Triangle Initiative: What Are We Missing? a Case Study from Aceh
    Short Communication The Coral Triangle Initiative: what are we missing? A case study from Aceh E DI R UDI,STUART J. CAMPBELL,ANDREW S. HOEY,NUR F ADLI,MATTHEW L INKIE and A NDREW H. BAIRD Abstract The Coral Triangle Initiative is an ambitious he terrestrial fauna and flora of South-East Asia has attempt to conserve the marine biodiversity hotspot known Tbeen a source of inspiration for biogeography since the as the Coral Triangle. However, the reef fauna in many field was founded following Alfred Russell Wallace’s voyage nearby regions remains poorly explored and, consequently, through the Malay Archipelago in the 19th century the focus on the Coral Triangle risks overlooking other areas (Wallace, 1869). Many marine organisms, including corals of high conservation significance. One region of potential and reef fish, also have their global centre of diversity in significance, Aceh, Indonesia, has not been visited by coral South-East Asia (Veron, 1995; Roberts et al., 2002). More taxonomists since the Dutch colonial period. Here we recent compilations of the global scleractinian and reef fish document the species richness of scleractinian corals of fauna have revealed a hotspot within South-East Asia now Pulau Weh, Aceh. We also compare the species richness of called the Coral Triangle (Allen, 2008; Veron et al., 2009), the genus Acropora at 3–5 sites in each of nine regions in bounded by the Philippines to the north, the Solomon Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Although dominated by Islands to the east and Bali to the west (Fig. 1). Veron et al. widespread Indo-Pacific species, the coral fauna of Pulau (2009) further divided the Coral Triangle into 16 ecoregions, Weh is also the eastern and western boundary for many each with .
    [Show full text]