DOCSLIB.ORG

Guía Corales Web LR

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Guía Corales Web LR INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY BEST PRACTICES for Coral Reef Protection © Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA), 2014 First edition: February, 2015 ISBN- 13: 978-0-9823143-7-1 ISBN- 10: 0-9823143-7-X Authors: Clea Bowdery, Sta Attorney, Environment Program, Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice Haydée Rodríguez, Attorney, Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense Erica Speights, Associate, Mayer Brown LLP Amelia Xu, Former Associate, Mayer Brown LLP Stephen Yeh, Associate, Mayer Brown LLP AIDA Board of Directors President Gustavo Alanís, Mexico Manolo Morales, Ecuador President, Mexican Environmental Law Center (CEMDA) Executive Director, ECOLEX Fernando Dougnac, Chile Vice-President President, Environmental Defenders Association (FIMA) Rolando Castro, Costa Rica Executive Director, Environmental and Natural Jerónimo Rodriguez, Colombia Resources Law Center (CEDARENA) Scientic Sub-Director, Alexander Von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute Secretary Margot Venton, Canada Pedro Solano, Perú President, Sta Lawyer, Ecojustice Executive Director, Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA) Chief Financial Ocer Martin Wagner, USA Santiago Cantón, USA International Program Director, Earthjustice Director, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights Other Board Members Rafael Gonzalez, Costa Rica Ana Valéria Araújo, Brazil President, Justice for Nature (JPN) Executive Director, Brazil Human Rights Funds Co-Executive Directors Anna Cederstav Astrid Puentes Marine Program Senior Attorney Gladys Martínez Cover photo © Shutterstock Acknowledgments We gratefully acknowledge the generous pro bono legal support provided by the following law rms and lawyers who contributed to the development of this Guide: Coordinating Counsel: Mayer Brown LLP (United States) Paul Forrester, Partner Sarah Reynolds, Associate Marcia Maack, Assistant Director of Pro Alexa Shea, Associate Bono Activities Erica Speights, Associate John D. Furlow, Associate Stephen Yeh, Associate Sean G. Kulkarni, Associate Diego Perez, Foreign Attorney Gabriel Salinas, Associate Local Counsel: Clayton Utz (Australia) Claire Smith, Partner Mark Etherington, Senior Associate Kathryn Pacey, Partner Stephanie Bashford, Lawyer Tosin Aro, Special Counsel omas Dougherty, Lawyer Rebecca Davie, Senior Associate Juliette King, Lawyer Sedgwick Chudleigh Barristers and Attorneys (Bermuda) Mark Chudleigh, Partner Amy Murray, Associate Stuarts Walker Hersant (Cayman Islands) Chris Humphries, Managing Director Webber Wentzel (Tanzania/South Africa) Moray Hathorn, Partner Chiara van Ingen, Candidate Attorney Patrick Ache, Associate Director Dane Volker, Candidate Attorney Richard McCaerty, Associate We also would like to express our gratitude to AIDA intern Afsaneh Lotzadeh for her assistance with important research, and to the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, which was instrumental in managing the research and making this document possible. Special thanks to Dina Stukanow, Director of Pro Bono Partnerships, for recruiting attorneys around the world to provide legal studies of their jurisdictions on a pro bono basis, and to Clea Bowdery, Environment Program Sta Attorney, for managing the pro bono project team and assisting with the drafting and editing of this guide. © shutterstock TABLE of CONTENTS Executive Summary 8 Introduction – e Challenge of Protecting Coral Reefs 15 I. reats to Coral Reefs 19 II. International Obligations to Protect Coral Reefs 22 III. International Best Practices: Regulatory Tools for Protecting Coral Reefs 26 A. Protecting the Environment and Marine Ecosystems Using Comprehensive Regulations and General Tools 27 1. Marine Conservation Laws 27 2. Marine Protected Areas 28 i. Development of science-based management plans that identify and address relevant threats 30 ii. Designation of zones with varying degrees of protective restrictions 31 3. Heritage Preservation 31 4. Endangered Species and Biodiversity Protection 32 5. Prohibition on Breaking, Damaging, Taking, and Selling Corals 33 B. Preventing Impacts on Reefs from Land-based and Coastal Activities 33 1. Coastal Development, Land Use, and Planning 34 i. An authority to oversee coastal development 34 ii. Requirement for permits and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prior to construction 34 iii. Prohibition on sand removal near coral reefs 36 2. Water Quality 37 i. Prohibition on discharging pollutants into bodies of water 37 ii. Water quality standards 38 iii. Water quality monitoring program 40 iv. Special water quality threats from agricultural and related operations 41 C. Governance for Protecting Coral Reefs 42 1. Public Participation 42 i. Facilitating formation of community advisory groups to assist with protection and management of shery and reef resources 42 ii. Participation and special rights of indigenous and traditional groups 43 iii. Public participation in enforcement and monitoring 44 2. Scientic Research 44 i. National strategy and program for coral conservation 44 ii. Ensuring that research activities are not harmful to reefs 46 D. Safe Navigation in Reef Areas 46 1. Restrictions or Prohibitions on Anchoring 47 2. Pilotage Requirements 48 E. Promoting Responsible Tourism 49 1. Requirement for Tour Operators to Obtain Permit or License 49 2. Restrictions on Tourism Activities at May Damage Reefs 50 i. Requirements for permits or guides for snorkeling or diving 50 ii. Restrictions on snorkeling, diving, and use of submersible craft 50 F. Preventing Fishing Impacts on Coral Reefs 51 1. Fisheries Laws and Management Plans Based on Scientic Data and Ecosystem Health 52 2. Requirement to Obtain Permit or License 53 3. Fishing Restrictions to Protect Certain Species 53 4. Limitations or Bans on Fishing Methods Harmful to Reefs 56 G. Implementation, Monitoring and Enforcement 57 1. Monitoring of Reef Health by Ocers and Other Relevant Personnel 57 2. Eective Enforcement of Rules and Regulations 58 i. Coordination between departments: park rangers, shery ocers, coast guard, or other ocers 58 ii. Authority of ocers to stop vessels, issue tickets, make arrests, and seize items related to a violation 58 iii. Suciently punitive sanctions for violations, including nes and/or imprisonment 59 iv. Recovery of damages from responsible party to compensate for restoring harmed reef areas 61 3. Mechanisms for Funding Management Activities 62 Conclusion 66 List of Laws and Regulations 68 References 74 6 FIGURES and TABLES Figure 1. Map of coral reef distribution 16 Table 1. International obligations relevant to coral reef protection 23 Table 2. Main pollutants, sources and impacts to coral reefs 40 Table 3. Examples of penalties for vessel damage to corals 60 Table 4. Examples of Tanzania’s access and activity fees 65 © shutterstock EXECUTIVE SUMMARY e Challenge of Protecting Coral Reefs 8 © shutterstock EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Coral reefs provide enormous benet to people and communities is guide is intended to make coral reef protection easier by providing worldwide, including critical spawning grounds for shes, sites for examples of eective regulatory best practices that can be adapted to tourism, and buers to protect coastal areas from storm damage. e dierent countries and contexts. It is not an exhaustive compilation of all United Nations Environment Programme estimates the annual economic possible best practices and does not claim to oer a one-size-ts-all value per 1 km2 of coral reef to be between US $100,000 and US solution for every jurisdiction. $600,0001. Rather, it oers a set of regulatory ingredients that have been eective in various jurisdictions and can be recombined and adapted as appropriate. he value of the ecosystem services provided by e best practices highlighted in the guide were selected based on a study 1km2 of coral reef is estimated to be between of existing legal and institutional frameworks for protecting coral reefs in T seven countries with important reef resources: Australia, Belize, Bermuda, US $100,000 and US $600,000. the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Tanzania, and the United States. Despite their biological importance, economic value, and other benets, INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICES: coral reefs are at risk in many parts of the world, including Latin America and the Caribbean. Studies estimate that 30% of reefs are already GENERAL REGULATORY TOOLS seriously damaged and 60% could disappear by 20302 if corrective FOR PROTECTING CORAL REEFS measures are not taken, due to impacts from water pollution, destructive shing methods, overshing, and other unsustainable human activities. Reefs are also threatened by climate change, as higher seawater A variety of general laws and regulatory approaches often forms the basis temperatures provoke coral bleaching, and ocean absorption of carbon for preservation of coral reefs and other fragile ecosystems. Constitutions dioxide impedes the calcication process necessary for coral reefs to grow. and general environmental laws that do not mention corals nonetheless If localized human threats, such as pollution and damage by boats and provide the framework for creating specic regulation to protect reefs. shing gear can be addressed, reef ecosystems will have greater resilience to the eects of the changing environment. General marine conservation laws oer important protection to coral reefs even if corals are not directly mentioned. Many of the protections Many Latin American and Caribbean countries with a strong interest in needed to preserve the marine environment inside and outside
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Taxonomic Checklist of CITES Listed Coral Species Part II
    CoP16 Doc. 43.1 (Rev. 1) Annex 5.2 (English only / Únicamente en inglés / Seulement en anglais) Taxonomic Checklist of CITES listed Coral Species Part II CORAL SPECIES AND SYNONYMS CURRENTLY RECOGNIZED IN THE UNEP‐WCMC DATABASE 1. Scleractinia families Family Name Accepted Name Species Author Nomenclature Reference Synonyms ACROPORIDAE Acropora abrolhosensis Veron, 1985 Veron (2000) Madrepora crassa Milne Edwards & Haime, 1860; ACROPORIDAE Acropora abrotanoides (Lamarck, 1816) Veron (2000) Madrepora abrotanoides Lamarck, 1816; Acropora mangarevensis Vaughan, 1906 ACROPORIDAE Acropora aculeus (Dana, 1846) Veron (2000) Madrepora aculeus Dana, 1846 Madrepora acuminata Verrill, 1864; Madrepora diffusa ACROPORIDAE Acropora acuminata (Verrill, 1864) Veron (2000) Verrill, 1864; Acropora diffusa (Verrill, 1864); Madrepora nigra Brook, 1892 ACROPORIDAE Acropora akajimensis Veron, 1990 Veron (2000) Madrepora coronata Brook, 1892; Madrepora ACROPORIDAE Acropora anthocercis (Brook, 1893) Veron (2000) anthocercis Brook, 1893 ACROPORIDAE Acropora arabensis Hodgson & Carpenter, 1995 Veron (2000) Madrepora aspera Dana, 1846; Acropora cribripora (Dana, 1846); Madrepora cribripora Dana, 1846; Acropora manni (Quelch, 1886); Madrepora manni ACROPORIDAE Acropora aspera (Dana, 1846) Veron (2000) Quelch, 1886; Acropora hebes (Dana, 1846); Madrepora hebes Dana, 1846; Acropora yaeyamaensis Eguchi & Shirai, 1977 ACROPORIDAE Acropora austera (Dana, 1846) Veron (2000) Madrepora austera Dana, 1846 ACROPORIDAE Acropora awi Wallace & Wolstenholme, 1998 Veron (2000) ACROPORIDAE Acropora azurea Veron & Wallace, 1984 Veron (2000) ACROPORIDAE Acropora batunai Wallace, 1997 Veron (2000) ACROPORIDAE Acropora bifurcata Nemenzo, 1971 Veron (2000) ACROPORIDAE Acropora branchi Riegl, 1995 Veron (2000) Madrepora brueggemanni Brook, 1891; Isopora ACROPORIDAE Acropora brueggemanni (Brook, 1891) Veron (2000) brueggemanni (Brook, 1891) ACROPORIDAE Acropora bushyensis Veron & Wallace, 1984 Veron (2000) Acropora fasciculare Latypov, 1992 ACROPORIDAE Acropora cardenae Wells, 1985 Veron (2000) CoP16 Doc.
    [Show full text]
  • Scleractinian Reef Corals: Identification Notes
    SCLERACTINIAN REEF CORALS: IDENTIFICATION NOTES By JACKIE WOLSTENHOLME James Cook University AUGUST 2004 DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.24656.51205 http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.24656.51205 Scleractinian Reef Corals: Identification Notes by Jackie Wolstenholme is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................................ i INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................. 1 ABBREVIATIONS AND DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................................. 2 FAMILY ACROPORIDAE.................................................................................................................................... 3 Montipora ........................................................................................................................................................... 3 Massive/thick plates/encrusting & tuberculae/papillae ................................................................................... 3 Montipora monasteriata .............................................................................................................................. 3 Massive/thick plates/encrusting & papillae ...................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Proposed Listing Determinations for 82 Reef-Building Coral Species
    Billing Code 3510-22-P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Parts 223 and 224 [Docket No. 0911231415-2625-02] 0648-XT12 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Proposed Listing Determinations for 82 Reef- building Coral Species; Proposed Reclassification of Acropora palmata and Acropora cervicornis from Threatened to Endangered. AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Proposed rule; request for comments. SUMMARY: We, NMFS, have completed comprehensive status reviews under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 82 reef-building coral species in response to a petition submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) to list the species as either threatened or endangered. We have determined, based on the best scientific and commercial data available and efforts being made to protect the species, that 12 of the petitioned coral species warrant listing as endangered (five Caribbean and seven Indo-Pacific), 54 coral species warrant listing as threatened (two Caribbean and 52 Indo-Pacific), and 16 coral species (all Indo-Pacific) do not warrant listing as threatened or endangered under the ESA. Additionally, we have determined, based on the best scientific and commercial information available and efforts undertaken to protect the species, two Caribbean coral species currently listed warrant reclassification from threatened to 1 endangered. We are announcing that 18 public hearings will be held during the public comment period to provide additional opportunities and formats to receive public input. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for public hearing dates, times, and locations. DATES: Comments on this proposal must be received by [INSERT DATE 90 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].
    [Show full text]
  • Final Corals Supplemental Information Report
    Supplemental Information Report on Status Review Report And Draft Management Report For 82 Coral Candidate Species November 2012 Southeast and Pacific Islands Regional Offices National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Department of Commerce Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 1 Background ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Methods .................................................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose ..................................................................................................................................................... 2 MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS RECEIVED ...................................................................................................... 3 SRR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 4 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 4 2. General Background on Corals and Coral Reefs .................................................................................... 4 2.1 Taxonomy & Distribution .............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Coral Species Report for Acropora Rudis
    LISTED CORALS IN THE INDO-PACIFIC Acropora rudis :: Biological Information MORPHOLOGY Pacific Islands Region Colonies of Acropora rudis are tree-shaped with large, tapered branches reaching a maximum size of 50 centimeters. Colonies are dark tan in color with pale branch tips. Photos copyright: J.E.N. Veron REPRODUCTION Te reproductive characteristics of Acropora rudis have not been determined, but other similar species of Acropora are hermaphroditic (having both male and female gametes) spawners with lecithotrophic (yolk- sac) larvae. :: Spatial Information GEOGRAPHIC RANGE Based on confrmed observations and strong predictions of occurrence in areas that have not yet been surveyed sufciently, Acropora rudis is likely distributed in the central and eastern Indian Ocean from the Maldives to the western-most portion of Indonesia. For more information contact: NMFS Pacifc Islands Regional Offce 1845 Wasp Blvd., Bldg. 176 Honolulu, HI 96818 Tel: 808-725-5000 Website: www.fpir.noaa.gov U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries NOAA Fisheries | Listed Corals in the Indo-Pacific:Acropora rudis LEGEND Region with confrmed record of species occurrence Region with predicted record of species occurrence Region with published record of species occurrence that needs further investigation Region with no record of species occurrence Veron JEN, Stafford-Smith MG, Turak E and DeVantier LM (in prep.) Corals of the World www.coralsoftheworld.com OCCURRENCE IN U.S. JURISDICTIONS Acropora rudis has not yet been conclusively reported from any U.S. jurisdiction in the Indo-Pacifc. HABITAT TYPES AND DEPTH Acropora rudis is found predominantly in lower reef crests and upper reef slopes, in a depth range of 3 to 15 meters.
    [Show full text]
  • USCRTF Handbook on Coral Reef Impacts 2016
    U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Handbook on Coral Reef Impacts: Avoidance, Minimization, Compensatory Mitigation, and Restoration Prepared by: U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Coral Injury and Mitigation Working Group December 2016 Handbook on Coral Reef Impacts: Avoidance, Minimization, Compensatory Mitigation, and Restoration EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In response to the National Ocean Council’s Implementation Plan (National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan, 2013) and U.S. Coral Reef Task Force’s (USCRTF) Resolution 16.7, the USCRTF developed the Handbook on Coral Reef Impacts: Avoidance, Minimization, Compensatory Mitigation, and Restoration. The Handbook is a review of the federal authorities, existing policies, and federal agency, state, and territory roles and responsibilities; a compendium of current best practices, science-based methodologies for quantifying ecosystem functions or services; and a general overview of basic protocols available for use when assessing impacts to coral reef ecosystems, and mitigating or restoring for unavoidable impacts to coral reef ecosystems, including the use of appropriate compensatory action to replace the lost functions and services. The Handbook is a compilation of current coral reef mitigation and restoration best management practices. The target audience for this Handbook includes project applicants, proponents, permittees or consultants for projects that may affect coral reefs, or for responsible parties (RP) and their consultants in the event of unplanned impact events. This Handbook is also intended to be
    [Show full text]
  • Twenty-Fifth Meeting of the Animals Committee
    AC25 Doc. 22 (Rev. 1) Annex 5 (English only / únicamente en inglés / seulement en anglais) Annex 5 Extract of Coral introduction from the ‘Checklist of CITES Species 2008’ (http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/pub/checklist08/index.html). References mentioned in this text can be looked up on the website. CORALS No standard references have been adopted for the coral species listed in the CITES Appendices. Two main references have been used as a basis for the taxonomy of Scleractinia spp., Milleporidae spp. and Stylasteridae spp.: Cairns et al. (1999), supplemented by Veron (2000). Antipatharia spp. have never been the subject of a complete taxonomic revision, although Opresko (1974) provided an incomplete summary. An ongoing revision of the Order by Opresko currently has five parts published (2001-2006), covering the families Aphanipathidae (22 spp.), Cladopathidae (16 spp.), Myriopathidae (32 spp.), Schizopathidae (37 spp.) and Stylopathidae (8 spp.), leaving the Antipathidae (approx. 122 spp.) and the Leiopathidae (6 spp.) to be dealt with. The accepted species of Leiopathidae in the UNEP-WCMC database and most of the accepted species of Antipathidae accord with those accepted by Bisby et al. (2007). A number of species that were not included in the 2005 checklist have been added to the 2008 Checklist. These include species described since 2005; species described before 2005 that were overlooked when producing the 2005 checklist; and species that are now considered to be accepted because of recent taxonomic revisions (Table 1). Others are newly added synonyms (Table 2). A number of other names included in the 2005 checklist have been subsequently modified.
    [Show full text]
  • U.S. CITES Implementation Report 2013-2015
    U.S. CITES Implementation Report (for the period 1 January 2013 to 30 June 2015) PREPARED BY: DIVISION OF MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR COMPLETED 23 SEPTEMBER 2015 U.S. CITES Implementation Report (for the period 1 January 2013 through 30 June 2015) Table of Contents Page INTRODUCTION 2 REPORT IN TABULAR FORM OF ACTIVE MEASURES TAKEN BY THE UNITED STATES DURING 2013-2015 IN ITS IMPLEMENTATION OF CITES 3 A. General information 3 B. Legislative and regulatory measures 4 C. Compliance and enforcement measures 6 D. Administrative measures 9 D1. Management Authority (MA) 9 D2. Scientific Authority (SA) 10 D3. Enforcement Authorities 12 D4. Communication, information management and exchange 13 D5. Permitting and registration procedures 16 D6. Capacity building 19 D7. Collaboration/co-operative initiatives 23 D8. Areas for future work 27 E. General feedback 29 ANNEX 1 – HIGHLIGHTS OF LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY MEASURES TAKEN BY THE UNITED STATES WITH RESPECT TO SECTION B OF THIS REPORT 30 ANNEX 2 – HIGHLIGHTS OF COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT MEASURES TAKEN BY THE UNITED STATES WITH RESPECT TO SECTION C OF THIS REPORT 36 ANNEX 3 – HIGHLIGHTS OF ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES TAKEN BY THE UNITED STATES WITH RESPECT TO SECTION D OF THIS REPORT 45 D1 and D2. Management Authority (MA) and Scientific Authority (SA) 45 D4. Communication, information management and exchange 51 D5. Permitting and registration procedures 52 D6. Capacity building 54 D7. Collaboration/co-operative initiatives 61 1 INTRODUCTION Article VIII of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) prescribes that each Party shall prepare periodic reports on its implementation of CITES and shall transmit to the Secretariat, in addition to an annual report, a biennial report on legislative, regulatory, and administrative measures taken to enforce the provisions of CITES.
    [Show full text]
  • Endangered Species Act Critical Habitat Information Report
    Endangered Species Act Critical Habitat Information Report: Basis and Impact Considerations of Critical Habitat Designations for Threatened Indo-Pacific Corals Acropora globiceps Acropora jacquelineae Acropora retusa Acropora speciosa Euphyllia paradivisa Isopora crateriformis Seriatopora aculeata October 2019 Prepared By: National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Regional Office, Honolulu, HI CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES IV LIST OF FIGURES VI 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 2.0 BACKGROUND 3 2.1 LISTING BACKGROUND 3 2.2 NATURAL HISTORY/BIOLOGY 4 3.0 CRITICAL HABITAT IDENTIFICATION AND DESIGNATION 11 3.1 GEOGRAPHIC AREAS OCCUPIED BY THE SPECIES 12 3.2 PHYSICAL OR BIOLOGICAL FEATURES ESSENTIAL FOR CONSERVATION 17 3.2.1 Substrate Component 19 3.2.2 Water Quality Component 21 3.2.2.1 Seawater Temperature 21 3.2.2.2 Aragonite Saturation State 23 3.2.2.3 Nutrients 25 3.2.2.4 Water Clarity/Turbidity 26 3.2.2.5 Contaminants 28 3.2.3 Physical or Biological Feature Essential for Conservation – Artificial Substrates and Certain Managed Areas Not Included 31 3.2.4 Conclusion 32 3.3 NEED FOR SPECIAL MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS OR PROTECTION 33 3.4 SPECIFIC AREAS WITHIN THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA OCCUPIED BY THE SPECIES 40 3.4.1 Tutuila and Offshore Banks 42 3.4.2 Ofu and Olosega 44 3.4.3 Ta`u 45 3.4.4 Rose Atoll 47 3.4.5 Guam and Offshore Banks 48 3.4.6 Rota 50 3.4.7 Aguijan 51 3.4.8 Tinian and Tatsumi Reef 52 3.4.9 Saipan and Garapan Bank 53 3.4.10 Farallon de Medinilla (FDM) 55 3.4.11 Anatahan 56 3.4.12 Pagan 57 3.4.13 Maug Islands and Supply Reef 58 3.4.14 Howland
    [Show full text]
  • Center for Biological Diversity-2009-TN1518-Ctr Bio
    BEFORE THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE PETITION TO LIST 83 CORAL SPECIES UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT Blue rice coral photo © Keoki Stender Submitted October 20, 2009 NOTICE OF PETITION Gary Locke Secretary of Commerce U.S. Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room 5516 Washington, D.C. 20230 E-mail: [email protected] James Balsiger, Acting Director NOAA Fisheries National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration 1315 East-West Highway Silver Springs, MD 20910 E-mail: [email protected] PETITIONER The Center for Biological Diversity 351 California Street, Suite 600 San Francisco, CA 94104 ph: (415) 436-9682 fax: (415) 436-9683 Date: October 20, 2009 Miyoko Sakashita Shaye Wolf Center for Biological Diversity Pursuant to Section 4(b) of the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”), 16 U.S.C. §1533(b), Section 553(3) of the Administrative Procedures Act, 5 U.S.C. § 553(e), and 50 C.F.R. §424.14(a), the Center for Biological Diversity (“Petitioner”) hereby petitions the Secretary of Commerce and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”), through the National Marine Fisheries Service (“NMFS” or “NOAA Fisheries”), to list 83 coral species and to designate critical habitat to ensure their survival and recovery. The Center for Biological Diversity (“Center”) is a non-profit, public interest environmental organization dedicated to the protection of native species and their habitats through science, policy, and environmental law. The Center has over 43,000 members throughout the United States and internationally. The Center and its members are concerned with the conservation of endangered species, including coral species, and the effective implementation of the ESA.
    [Show full text]
  • Australia's Coral
    Australia’s Coral Sea: A Biophysical Profile 2011 Dr Daniela Ceccarelli 2011 Dr Daniela Ceccarelli Coral Sea: A Biophysical Profile Australia’s Australia’s Coral Sea A Biophysical Profile Dr. Daniela Ceccarelli August 2011 Australia’s Coral Sea: A Biophysical Profile Photography credits Author: Dr. Daniela M. Ceccarelli Front and back cover: Schooling great barracuda © Jurgen Freund Dr. Daniela Ceccarelli is an independent marine ecology Page 1: South West Herald Cay, Coringa-Herald Nature Reserve © Australian Customs consultant with extensive training and experience in tropical marine ecosystems. She completed a PhD in coral reef ecology Page 2: Coral Sea © Lucy Trippett at James Cook University in 2004. Her fieldwork has taken Page 7: Masked booby © Dr. Daniela Ceccarelli her to the Great Barrier Reef and Papua New Guinea, and to remote reefs of northwest Western Australia, the Coral Sea Page 12: Humphead wrasse © Tyrone Canning and Tuvalu. In recent years she has worked as a consultant for government, non-governmental organisations, industry, Page 15: Pink anemonefish © Lucy Trippett education and research institutions on diverse projects requiring field surveys, monitoring programs, data analysis, Page 19: Hawksbill turtle © Jurgen Freund reporting, teaching, literature reviews and management recommendations. Her research and review projects have Page 21: Striped marlin © Doug Perrine SeaPics.com included studies on coral reef fish and invertebrates, Page 22: Shark and divers © Undersea Explorer seagrass beds and mangroves, and have required a good understanding of topics such as commercial shipping Page 25: Corals © Mark Spencer impacts, the effects of marine debris, the importance of apex predators, and the physical and biological attributes Page 27: Grey reef sharks © Jurgen Freund of large marine regions such as the Coral Sea.
    [Show full text]
  • Species Richness and Relative Abundance of Reef-Building Corals in the Indo-West Pacific
    diversity Article Species Richness and Relative Abundance of Reef-Building Corals in the Indo-West Pacific Lyndon DeVantier * and Emre Turak Coral Reef Research, 10 Benalla Rd., Oak Valley, Townsville 4810, QLD, Australia; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 5 May 2017; Accepted: 27 June 2017; Published: 29 June 2017 Abstract: Scleractinian corals, the main framework builders of coral reefs, are in serious global decline, although there remains significant uncertainty as to the consequences for individual species and particular regions. We assessed coral species richness and ranked relative abundance across 3075 depth-stratified survey sites, each < 0.5 ha in area, using a standardized rapid assessment method, in 31 Indo-West Pacific (IWP) coral ecoregions (ERs), from 1994 to 2016. The ecoregions cover a significant proportion of the ranges of most IWP reef coral species, including main centres of diversity, providing a baseline (albeit a shifted one) of species abundance over a large area of highly endangered reef systems, facilitating study of future change. In all, 672 species were recorded. The richest sites and ERs were all located in the Coral Triangle. Local (site) richness peaked at 224 species in Halmahera ER (IWP mean 71 species Standard Deviation 38 species). Nineteen species occurred in more than half of all sites, all but one occurring in more than 90% of ERs. Representing 13 genera, these widespread species exhibit a broad range of life histories, indicating that no particular strategy, or taxonomic affiliation, conferred particular ecological advantage. For most other species, occurrence and abundance varied markedly among different ERs, some having pronounced “centres of abundance”.
    [Show full text]