CCC statement on the implications of coral harvesting in the Mamanuca Islands, Fiji
Added to website: 15 December 2002
By Peter Raines, Founder & Managing Director, Coral Cay Conservation
Introduction
The parlous state of the environment and the need for sustainable development has recently been brought to light at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (www.johannesburgsummit.org). Coral reefs and their associated fisheries were one of the subjects discussed. Many of the costs and benefits associated with coral reef resource extraction have been poorly researched to date. Consequently there is a great need for a better understanding of the effects of resource extraction from reef systems. Collection of long-term rigorous scientific data by independent scientists and socio-economists is required before rational, equitable and sustainable management decisions can be made.
The global environmental crisis
Papers presented at The European Meeting of The International Society for Reef Studies Conference held in Cambridge in September 2002 (www.uncwil.edu/isrs) have highlighted the crisis facing coral reefs the world over. Many sessions at the meeting focused on the catastrophic effects of over fishing, or coral reef degradation associated with bleaching events, pollution and sedimentation. For example, many areas of the Great Barrier Reef’s central section are under threat from nutrification of coastal waters via run-off associated with agriculture. Leeching of excess nutrients on the reef is exacerbated by mangrove cutting, which destroys the coastlines natural ability to retain river-borne sediments, and strip the waters of pollutants.
A recently published 5-year monitoring study by the global coral reef conservation programme ‘Reef Check’ (www.reefcheck.org) has highlighted the decline in coral reef cover (global coral cover now lies at 35% from over 1000 reefs surveyed) and the reduction in associated fish and invertebrate populations. As an example, Humphead wrasse are missing from 89% of Indo-Pacific reefs. The coral bleaching event of 1998 reduced live coral cover the world over by a significant 10%. This is a worrying trend that is likely set to continue due to the significant increase in Sea Surface Temperature over the past 25 years, and the associated stress caused by El Nino events.
Fiji’s coral reefs
Fiji has the third largest tract of coral reef in the world - with 68% of its reefs at risk (Coral Reefs of the World, Spalding et al., 2001). Fiji escaped the international bleaching event of 1998. However, in 2000, the country was hit hard by another bleaching event, which led to vast areas of shallow reefs bleached, even down to depths of 30m in some areas. This was followed by the effects of a typhoon in southern and western Fiji, which destroyed shallow-water corals already weakened by the original bleaching event. Fiji’s reefs have seen a slow rise in fishing pressure, with coastal and fringing reefs around the main island landmasses showing the most serious declines in predator and other commercial fish populations. Other significant problems for the islands lie in the land use issues that have so degraded the Great Barrier Reef over recent times as mentioned earlier.
Coral reefs of the Mamanucas
Coral reefs of the Mamanucas have fared poorly in the last 20 years. They were previously regarded as healthy environments, in line with many of the other reefs of the region. However, the Mamanuca reefs have seen a slow decline, which was partly caused by the serious bleaching event in 2000 and subsequent typhoon in the west of the archipelago. Much of the coral cover was destroyed. Surveys by Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) divers in 2001 in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Fiji Visitors Bureau, the Mamanuca Fiji Hoteliers Association and other national stakeholders, only recorded coral cover of 14% for the whole of this 30x30km area of coral reef. Fish populations associated with coral reefs of the Mamanucas showed evidence of considerable over fishing on reefs between the Malolo Barrier Reef and the Malolo Islands. Grouper were extremely rare, as were other commercially important food fish such as sweetlips and jacks.
Following the visit by CCC survey divers to 22 sites in the area in 2001, a repeat monitoring programme by CCC at exactly the same sites was undertaken in June 2002. Evidence of coral recovery was strong, with over 27% coral cover recorded in exactly the same areas as were surveyed in 2001.
Potential threats to the coral reefs of the Mamanucas include:
- unsustainable coral harvesting
- over fishing (finfish and invertebrates)
- sediment and nutrient run-off from the Nadi watershed
- pollution and anchor damage from resort development
- diver damage on the islands of the archipelago.
Of the threats listed above the extraction of coral has been a rapidly growing industry in Fiji in the last 15 years. A study by Lovell and Tumuri (1999) reported that the number of pieces of live coral exported by Fiji has risen dramatically, from 12,000 in 1991 compared to almost 500,000 in 1999. The economic benefits for local communities who undertake harvesting must be compared to the effect on the reef ecosystem, not to mention the damage to the local tourism industry, which provides Fiji with its largest source of foreign exchange revenue and local employment. A cautionary view has been stated by Wells et al. (1994): “Profit derived from coral extraction, whether for the curio or aquarium trade, or for medical material, may be insignificant when compared to the loss to fisheries or tourism”. A decrease in live coral cover has been directly linked to a drop in reef fish abundance in a number of studies (Bell and Galzin, 1984; Dulvy et al. 1995).
Therefore any extraction process will require careful management to ensure the integrity of the reef system is maintained. The effect of harvesting should be monitored so that protocols/guidelines on the amount of coral that can be sustainably removed per unit area are known. Such studies are still in their infancy. Until these studies are completed it would be wise to take a cautionary view and ban harvesting or restrict it to a few sites in the Mamanucas with a long fallow period between extraction to ensure that effective recovery can occur.
Importance of Marine Protected Areas in the Mamanucas
Marine Protected Areas (otherwise known as MPAs) have the effect of allowing threatened ecosystems to ‘breath’ again’. International evidence is growing that MPAs allow reef fish populations to recover from over fishing, thereby allowing the build up of healthy food webs.
Reserves could be highly beneficial for both the biological and human communities of the Mamanucas in that they would provide enhanced fish catches in areas adjacent to the reserves (through natural migration by some fish outside the reserves), and provide a stock of healthy coral and fish, which can seed, through larval dispersal, areas tens of kilometres away from the protected area. Once mature the MPA would be a beacon for the tourist industry.
Conclusion
In essence, many of the unsustainable land use, and extraction (coral and fish) practices that occur in this vital reef area should be halted, if not seriously downgraded in scale, as the reefs within the Mamanucas are in a relatively poor shape at the moment. However, the large scale of this reef area should allow the development of considerably large MPAs in order to regenerate depleted fish stocks, and protect this massive economic and biological resource for the stakeholders of the archipelago.
Fiji’s tourism industry is the country’s primary source of income (and a very significant employer) and ‘sells’ itself internationally on three counts: it’s ancient culture, outstandingly friendly people, and its wonderful environment. Take away any one of these three assets and Fiji’s economy will suffer severely. The Mamanuca Fiji Hoteliers Association is taking direct action in moving ever closer towards a more ecologically sensitive and environmentally aware approach to the industry it represents, as demonstrated through its support and endorsement of local conservation initiatives, least of which is the outstanding support and encouragement it is providing to CCC in our efforts to play our part in the conservation management of marine resources within the Mamanucas.
My belief is that if the structured, coordinated corporate and community responsibility increasingly being shown by Mamanuca stakeholders can be combined with a halt to the destructive practices (including harvesting for the aquarium trade) that have such negative effects not only on the integrity of local reefs but also the perceptions of visitors to the Mamanucas, then we will be one step closer towards the ‘Holy Grail’ of conservation - sustainability!
