METHODS FOR ECOLOGICAL MONITORING OF CORAL REEFS JOS HILL AND CLIVE WILKINSON VERSION 1 A RESOURCE FOR MANAGERS This compendium of methods contains those known to be in common use for coral reef monitoring or were provided by coral reef resource managers and researchers from around the world. Much of the information is based on questionnaires distributed widely and from the coral reef literature. This should not be considered as a definitive list. Interested persons are invited to contact the authors for information or to indicate errors and omissions. © Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2004 Australian Institute of Marine Science PMB No 3 Townsville MC Qld 4810 Australia Telephone +61 7 4753 4444 Facsimile +61 7 4772 5852 [email protected] www.aims.gov.au Reef Check C/o Institute of the Environment 1362 Hershey Hall, Box 951496 University of California at Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496 USA Telephone +1-310-794-4985 Facsimile +1-310-825-0758 email: [email protected] www.reefcheck.org ISBN 0 642 322 376 Acknowledgements Special thanks go to those people who provided method descriptions and assessments from a management perspective through discussions and responses to questionnaires. We are particularly grateful to those who provided financial support for the GCRMN and this publication: the US Department of State, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the UK, through the International Coral Reef Initiative, IUCN The World Conservation Union, CRC Reef Research Centre, the Total Foundation and the International Coral Reef Action Network. Scientific and technical advice was received from AIMS, AGRRA (Atlantic Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment), CARICOMP, NOAA, ReefBase, Reef Check, CORAL The Coral Reef Alliance, The Nature Conservancy and the GCRMN Management Group (UNEP, IOC-UNESCO, IUCN, the World Bank, The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity). Personnel from IMPAC (International Marine Project Activities Centre), CRC Reef Research Centre and Alison Green provided advice and support. Tim Prior, Michael Phelan and Madeleine Nowak are thanked for their suggestions and proof reading. Finally special thanks go to the production staff at AIMS, Wendy Ellery and Tim Simmonds; again a very professional job under a tight schedule. Cover photographs were provided by Jos Hill, Dean Miller and Katerina Kupcikova. Contact Jos Hill at [email protected] ii CONTENTS Preface. .1 1: Introduction to monitoring . .2 2: What type of monitoring to use? . .4 3: General monitoring methods . 16 4: Mapping and Site Selection. 21 Manta tow . 22 Video towed diver (video manta tow) . 24 Random swim . 26 5: Benthic communities . 27 General observations . 30 Timed swims . 31 Line intercept transect . 33 Point intercept transect (PIT) . 36 Video transect . 38 Visual quadrat. 41 Permanent photo quadrat . 43 Coral health general observations . 45 Bleaching general observations. 46 Bleaching belt transect . 47 Disease belt transect . 49 Line transect (Bleaching, Disease) . 51 Tagging coral colonies . 53 Chain intercept transect . 54 Coral recruitment tiles . 56 Coral recruitment quadrats . 58 6: Macro-invertebrates . 63 Belt transect . 64 Diadema belt transect . 68 Collection of Diadema . 70 7: Fishes . 73 Towed diver (manta tow) . 76 Fish roving diver technique . 78 Fish belt transect . 79 Fish stationary plot survey . 86 Fish rapid visual census . 88 Butterfly fish method . 89 Fish spawning aggregations methods. 91 8: Monitoring physical parameters . 95 Water quality . 96 Sedimentation traps . 96 9: Monitoring programs . 98 How do you put a monitoring program together? . 98 Major programs . 98 Global Coral Reef Monitoring Program. 99 Reef Check . 100 Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment . 101 Caribbean Coastal Marine Productivity Program . 102 Coral Reef Degradation in the Indian Ocean . 103 Commission de l’Ocean Indien/Indian Ocean Commission . 104 Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System – Synoptic Monitoring Program . 105 Reef Condition (RECON) Monitoring Program . 106 Appendices . 107 1: How to do a pilot study? . 107 2: Generic monitoring equipment . 107 References. 112 Glossary of terms . 116 iii v Preface vi Potential methods to use for monitoring disturbance impacts. It is recommended that monitoring is done of the damage sites and control sites, preferably before the damage, during and after damaging impacts have ceased. Monitoring sites for success of recovery is a measure of the success of management intervention. Threat Impacts What to monitor (few resources) Pages Over-fishing m Fisheries - catch per unit effort – fishery dependent monitoring; 51, 64, 78, m Impacts on populations of target species: abundance & size - fishery independent monitoring 79, 86, 88 Over-exploitation of Hunting e.g. turtles & dugong m For suspected ecosystem over-fishing, monitor impacts on non-target species - cover of algae, coral, prey species etc. marine resources m Physical damage to habitat - broken coral; live and dead coral cover; Destructive fishing practices 22, 31, 33 m Impacts of over-fishing - see above. Coral mining See habitat destruction below — Habitat destruction: coastal m Area of habitat lost; 22, 27, 31, development; dredging & filling; coral m Impacts on adjacent coral communities - cover, diversity, and health. 33 mining Point source pollution: e.g. sewage, m Water quality - measure relevant pollutant e.g. sediments, nutrients, fertilisers, pesticides at source and receiving waters; 22, 31, 33, Land based impacts industry outfalls etc. m Impacts on coral communities - cover, diversity, and health. 95 m Water quality - measure relevant pollutant e.g. sediments, nutrients, fertilisers, pesticides in delivery mechanism (rivers/ Non-point source pollution: land 22, 31, 33, streams during floods) and receiving waters; clearing, agriculture, septic systems etc. 95 m Impacts on coral communities - cover, diversity, and health. m Type, quantity and distribution of pollutant; 33, 36, 51, Pollution e.g. fuel spills m Impacts on benthic communities, particularly cover of coral and algae, diversity and health of coral communities and other 64 indicator species e.g. clams, urchins. m Physical damage to habitat - area of broken/smashed coral; changes to hydrology of area e.g. new channels; Groundings/wrecks 22, 31, 51 Shipping based m Type, quantity and distribution of pollutants e.g. oil, diesel, antifouling paint & and impacts on benthic communities (see above). impacts m Diversity, size and abundance of introduced species; Introduced species in ballast water etc. 31, 64, 68 m Impacts on native species e.g. due to competition or predation; m Physical damage to habitat - area of broken/smashed coral; area of habitat lost; changes to local hydrology; and Navigation aids: lighthouses etc. 22, 31, 33 m Impact on adjacent coral communities. Coastal development: resorts, marinas, See habitat destruction above — jetties etc. m Physical damage to coral communities - broken coral; area of habitat lost; Tourism & 22, 31, 33, Offshore structures e.g. pontoons m Impacts on adjacent coral reef communities from shading - coral cover, diversity, and health; Recreation 79 m Impacts from fish feeding – fish abundance, size and diversity. Diving and snorkelling m Broken coral and coral cover at key sites. 33 m Sea surface temperatures; m Extent, severity and recovery of coral communities - cover, diversity, size structure, changes in relative abundance of growth 22, 33, 51, Coral bleaching forms; 95 m Identify bleaching resilient species and sites. Major storms, cyclones, hurricanes and m Physical damage - broken coral; and changes to coral communities - cover, diversity and relative abundance of growth forms. 22, 33 typhoons Large scale m Abundance and size of corallivores; Population outbreaks of corallivores: 22, 33, disturbances m Impacts of coral community - coral cover, diversity, and relative abundance of growth forms. COTs, Drupella etc. 51,64, 68 m Area of habitat lost or destroyed e.g. buried by lava and ash; Geologic activity: earthquakes, m Physical damage - broken coral in coral communities; 22, 27, 33, volcanoes, tsunamis m Type, quantity and distribution of pollutants e.g. lava, ash, pumice and impacts on coral reef communities - coral cover, diversity and 51 relative abundance of growth forms. PREFACE The aim of this book is to help managers of coral reefs select appropriate ecological monitoring programs, protocols and methods for your coral reef management needs. This book was written in response to requests from coral reef managers for advice on monitoring, especially: m How monitoring can help management; m How to choose the best methods to suit your needs; and m The good and bad points and associated costs of a wide range of monitoring methods. Monitoring can be specifi c or general. There are different management information needs for each coral reef area, so monitoring programs must be designed to include a selection of protocols and methods to meet those needs. The protocols and methods outlined in this book represent the ones most commonly used on coral reefs around the world. Our advice is to use the standard and frequently used methods to monitor your reefs because these have been extensively tested. Using standard methods also means that you will be able to.