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Marine Photobank image provided by Simon Pierce. ">
Sangalaki Island, Indonesia. Credit: Marine Photobank image provided by Simon Pierce.
The tropical oceans of the world are experiencing periods of turbulence. Terrible predictions about even more disastrous coral bleaching episodes have been published, jeopardizing even the future of wonders like the Great Barrier Reef. In the absence of global action to prevent climate change, we, as individuals, are largely helpless in the face of this loss.
With a heavy heart, we are now at a crossroads of marine conservation. At best, all roads are precarious. Do we continue to look for the possibility of developing a way to safeguard and restore our coral reefs as the global climate becomes more and more inhospitable? Or do we follow a new path? A solution that takes stock of what can be saved and develops viable solutions that maximize the potential of the oceans.
In Australia, the government has granted $ 444 million to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation to find an innovative solution to the problems of its coral reef. Proposals regarding shading reefs, lime spread (to reduce the acidity of seawater) and "coral IVF" are all under study. In addition, significant donor funding totaling US $ 86 million has been allocated to the 50 Reefs program, which aims to save some of the world's most resilient coral reefs from climate decimation. But these are not solutions to the problem, they are simply sticky bandages. Despite the many works being done to save them, it seems increasingly likely that many coral reefs will disappear and we must begin to tackle the problems that this will entail.
The loss of the world's coral reefs will require hundreds of millions of people to need alternative food supplies as the productivity of these fishing habitats declines rapidly. We are already seeing a shift away from coral reef fisheries. In East of Indonesia, research has shown that fishermen are increasingly dependent on alternative habitats such as seagrass beds and mangrove forests, instead of habitat. degraded and damaged coral reefs. By getting away from the coral reefs, this very intense fishing focuses on smaller areas. This further decimates fish stocks, destroying the ecological balance of the tropical seascape.
Commendable research and research is underway to make coral reefs more resilient to climate change. But their overall operation in favor of fishing is collapsing and we need current and concrete solutions to this problem, as well as "blue sky" innovations.
Conservation Priorities
In our recently published article, we affirm that it is urgent to take into account the warnings of a generalized future decline in the productivity of coral reef fisheries and expand the scope of tropical marine conservation. .
Burying our heads in the sand as the fisheries move and their negative impacts are concentrated elsewhere can no longer be an option for marine conservation. The world needs to consider how conservation efforts can optimize fisheries resources and sustainability in the tropical seascape. It is not a question of moving away from the conservation of coral reefs, it is necessary to adopt a much more holistic vision of tropical marine conservation. We must now think about how we can ensure that people can continue to support themselves in the future. Too often, tropical conservation ignores anything that is not coral. A rapidly changing climate means that this preservation of tunnel vision is no longer viable.
With respect to the other components of this seascape, there are practical conservation options for developing sustainable ways to respond to increased resource use, such as gear management. Problems encountered by herbaria, for example, are directly related to watershed management and coastal development rather than global climate change. These and other factors are largely manageable and threats can be reduced. Yet, they are largely off the radar of marine conservation.
Although habitats such as seagrass beds are also sensitive to climate change, the scenarios suggest a much brighter future than coral reef systems. We have global evidence of the value of seagrass ecosystems to support fisheries production and help sequester carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. Targeted action now could restore and protect them in the future.
Coral reefs have rightfully attracted a lot of attention, but we think the time has come for global conservation efforts to look beyond the reefs and focus on other key areas of ocean conservation. .
Explore further:
An insurance policy could save the coral reefs of the Earth
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