Coral Reef Degradation in the Indian Ocean Status Report 2005 Coral Reef Degradation in the Indian Ocean. The coastal ecosystem of the Indian Ocean includes environments such as mangroves, sea- Program Coordination grass beds and coral reefs. These habitats are some CORDIO Secretariat Coral Reef Degradation of the most productive and diverse environments Olof Lindén on the planet. They form an essential link in the David Souter Department of Biology and Environmental food webs that leads to fish and other seafood in the Indian Ocean Science providing food security to the local human University of Kalmar population. In addition coral reefs and mangrove 29 82 Kalmar, Sweden Status Report 2005 forests protect the coastal areas against erosion. (e-mail: [email protected], Unfortunately, due to a number of human activi- [email protected]) Editors: DAVID SOUTER & OLOF LINDÉN ties, these valuable environments are now being degraded at an alarming rate. The use of destruc- CORDIO East Africa Coordination Center David Obura tive fishing techniques on reefs, coral mining and P.O. Box 035 pollution are examples of some of these stresses Bamburi, Mombasa, Kenya from local sources on the coral reefs. Climate (e-mail: [email protected], change is another stress factor which is causing [email protected]) additional destruction of the reefs. CORDIO is a collaborative research and CORDIO South Asia Coordination Center development program involving expert groups in Dan Wilhelmsson (to 2004) Status Report 2005 countries of the Indian Ocean. The focus of Jerker Tamelander (from 2005) IUCN (World Conservation Union) CORDIO is to mitigate the widespread degrada- 53 Horton Place, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka tion of the coral reefs and other coastal eco- (e-mail: [email protected]) systems by supporting research, providing knowledge, creating awareness, and assist in CORDIO Indian Ocean Islands developing alternative livelihoods. The program Rolph Payet receives core support from Sweden (Swedish Ministry of Environment International Development Cooperation Agency) Botanical Gardens PO Box 445, and is also supported by IUCN and Finland. This Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles report presents the results from the period 2003– (e-mail: [email protected]) 2005 and summarizes the activities since the start of the program in 999. Website: www.cordio.org ISBN 91-973959-4-3 Finland Contents Foreword 5 Arjan Rajasuriya Executive Summary 9 The Status of Coral Reefsin Sri Lanka in the Aftermath of the 998 Section . Status Reports Coral Bleaching Event and the 2004 Tsunami 83 David Obura Arjan Rajasuriya, Nishan Perera & Malik Fernando East Africa – Summary 25 Status of Coral Reefs in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka 97 Malek A. Abdulaziz, John Turner & Lyndon DeVantier Meena Dharmaretnam & Riyas Ahamed Coral Communities of the Socotra Islands, Yemen: A Preliminary Baseline Survey Status and Recovery Following of the Coral Reefs of Passikuda, Batticaloa 04 the 998 Bleaching Event 32 Hussein Zahir, Ismael Abid, Ajla Rasheed David O. Obura Status of Coral Reefs of the Maldives: Kenya – Coral Reef Resilience Studies 35 Recovery Since the 998 Mass Bleaching and the Impacts of Mohammed Suleiman, Christopher Muhando, the Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004 09 Haji Machano, Carol Daniels, Elizabeth Tyler, Nariman Jiddawi & Saleh Yahya J. K. Patterson Edward, Jamila Patterson, Status of Coral Reefs in Tanzania 47 G. Mathews & Dan Wilhelmsson Status of Coral Reefs of the Tuticorin Coast, Alice Costa, Marcos A.M. Pereira, Helena Motta Gulf of Mannar, Southeast Coast of India 9 & Michael Schleyer Status of Coral Reefs of Mozambique: 2004 54 Rolph Payet Indian Ocean Island – Summary 28 Michael H. Schleyer, Louis Celliers, Alke Kruger, Angus Macdonald & David Glassom: Rolph Payet, Jude Bijoux & Pierre-Andre Adam Coral Reef Research in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, Status and Recovery of Carbonate and South Africa 6 Granitic Reefs in the Seychelles Inner Islands and Implications for Management 32 Dan Wilhelmsson, J. K. Patterson Edward, Arjan Rajasuriya, Jerker Tamelander David Souter, David Obura, Dan Wilhelmsson, & Nishanthi Perera Charles Sheppard, Matt Richmond, Olof Lindén, Assessing the Status and Improving Management Rolph Payet & Jude Bijoux of Coral Reef Resources: Experiences and Status of Cosmoledo Atoll, Southern Seychelles, Achievements in South Asia 66 Four Years after Bleaching-Related Mass Coral Mortality 46 Section 2. Thematic Reports P. B. Terney Pradeep Kumara, David Obura, Juliet Furaha & Jelvas Mwaura P. R. T. Cumaranathunga & Olof Lindén Coral Settlement Patterns in Bandaramulla Reef of Southern Sri-Lanka: the Mombasa Marine National Park 67 Present Status and Impacts of Coral Mining 233 Hussein M. Alidina J. K. Patterson Edward, Jamila Patterson, Local Level Coral-Reef Fisheries Management G. Mathews & Dan Wilhelmsson in Diani-Chale, Southern Kenya: Awareness Raising and Feasibility Current Status and Future Directions 74 of Reef Restoration through Marcos A. M. Pereira & Michael H. Schleyer Coral Transplantation A Diver and Diving Survey in Tuticorin, Gulf of Mannar, India 243 in Southern Mozambique 84 Jamila Patterson, V. Deepak Samuel, Shakil Visram J. K. Patterson Edward & Dan Wilhelmsson Resilience of Zooxanthellae to Bleaching Stressors: Improving Living Conditions for An Experimental Study 93 Reef Dependent Fisher Families in Tuticorin, Gulf of Mannar, Southeast coast of India 252 Vineeta Hoon & Jerker Tamelander Community-Based Monitoring of Coral Reef Ole Vestergaard& Ben Cattermoul Resource Use in Agatti Island, Building an Integrated Coral Reef Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India 205 Monitoring Network – Lessons from the GCRMN South Asia 263 Nishanthi Perera, Dan Wilhelmsson & Jerker Tamelander Appendix Alternative Livelihoods as a Tool for Sustainable Adresses to Authors 28 Coral Reef Management in Sri Lanka 29 Executive Summary SYNOPSIS th ● The impacts of the tsunami of 26 December 2004 The assessments of 50 contributing authors focusing on on coral reefs was highly variable and ranged from coral reefs and related coastal ecosystems, and dependent negligible (Gulf of Mannar, India, Maldives, East communities in 9 countries in South Asia and the central Africa) to moderate (parts of Andaman and Nicobar and western Indian Ocean report that: Islands) to extreme (parts of Sri Lanka, Nicobar Is- lands). Status of Coral Reefs ● The primary factors determining the severity of dam- ● The bio-physical condition of many reefs continues age caused by the tsunami were: to decline. ❏ How exposed a reef was to the direct force of the ● Recovery from bleaching associated coral mortality is wave; generally slow and patchy with widespread changes in ❏ The local bathymetry surrounding a reef; species composition of adult and juvenile coral com- ❏ The geological composition of a reef; munities. ❏ The condition of the reef; reefs that had sufferred ● Recovery is more rapid on reefs that are situated with- extensive coral mortality as a result of the 998 El in managed areas or are remote from the influence of Niño were more vulnerable to the force of the tsu- other human disturbances. nami. ● Recovery in areas subject to human influences has been retarded. ● The reasons for continued coral reef degradation are: ● The primary causes of coral reef degradation are: ❏ High dependence on coral reef resources as a result ❏ Bleaching, which is occuring more frequently and of few alternative sources of food and income; has accelerated the degradation caused by: ❏ Open access; fishing and exploitation of other ❏ Overexploitation of fish and of other organisms coastal resources are unregulated in many coun- on reefs throughout the region; tries; as a result, unemployment and a lack of ❏ Destructive fishing, which become an increasing opportunities elsewhere in society are directly problem as fish stocks decline; due to lack of en- linked with coastal degradation; forcement destructive fishing has destroyed reefs ❏ Low awareness of the importance of healthy coast- in formally protected areas (MPA’s) during the last al ecosystems and the impacts of human activities; couple of years; ❏ Inadequate laws and regulations; ❏ Pollution and sedimentation, mainly from land- ❏ Poor enforcement of existing laws and regula- based human activities. tions; 9 ❏ Responsabilities dispersed among several agencies ● Strengthen laws and regulations where necessary. and a lack of coordination between these agencies; Clarify the responsabilities of different agencies. ❏ Insufficient political will to strengthen laws and ● Enforcement of laws and regulations must be strength- regulations and improve enforcement. ened. Punishments against destructive behaviour must be such that they are genuine disincentives. ● Improve enforcement by providing greater man- Actions Necessary to Achieve Sustainable Use of Coral Reef Resources power, equipment and financial resources. ● Encourage community-based protection and enforce- Research and Monitoring ment in partnership with government agencies by de- ● Continue to strengthen environmental monitoring volving to stakeholders the responsibility for direct programmes in each country so that management de- conservation of resources and enforcement of laws. cisions are made using the best available information ● Strengthen political will through the education of de- and so that management strategies can be adapted to cision makers of the tangible benefits of manage- cope with changing situations. ment. ● Engage communities in monitoring and management in order to raise awareness of