Coral Reef Ecosystem Health Learning Workshop: Cozumel

Workshop Background: How Do We Measure Coral Reef Ecosystem Health?

It is not necessary to recount the many virtues of coral reefs and why we value them —they are among the most diverse and beautiful natural system in the world, they sustain the economies of small island developing states and livelihoods of tropical coastal communities, they harbor compounds of unknown but potentially immense pharmacological importance, they protect coasts against storms and impacts from climate change. They are, in short, are an essential part of the web of life that make our plant unique in the solar system. Yet, “…in the last several decades of the 20th century, approximately 20% of the world's coral reefs were lost and an additional 20% were heavily degraded; approximately 35% of mangrove area was also lost during this time.” Millennium Ecosystems Assessment - Synthesis Report  2005, and Wilkinson 2000.

The root causes of the rapid deterioration of coral reefs that we are witnessing today lie in direct impacts from human activities, e.g., over fishing, destructive fishing practices, chronic pollution, sedimentation from degraded watersheds, and physical alteration associated with coastal development, tourism, oil and gas exploration.  As threatening now to reefs, are the indirect impacts of human activities linked to climate change and changes in the global nitrogen cycle are having profound impacts on coral reefs.  Bleaching, increased outbreaks of disease (both in frequency and type), and greater storm frequency and intensity are acting as major system drivers along with more direct human assaults on reefs.  These act synergistically. Poorly managed reefs are more stressed and less resilient to externalities beyond the control of local decision-makers.

Reversing such degradation is important to coastal nations, particularly those with a strong dependence on marine ecosystem goods and services.  But knowing how and when to respond requires a better understanding of coral reef ecosystem health and the drivers responsible for change.  A comprehensive assessment of coral reef ecosystem health needs to take into account not only ecological dimensions, but the human dimension as well.

The concept of ecosystem health is complex because there are very few ecosystems which have not been altered by humans.  The absence of a baseline against which to measure ecosystem changes from some pristine state to one that prevails today in a human dominated environment can complicate our assessment of what is truly healthy (i.e., robust) vs. what is a fragile equilibrium, teetering on the brink of collapse. While biophysical measures, like water quality/chemistry; biological community structure; the extent of coral reef cover vs. algal cover; and evidence of repeated coral bleaching and disease are all important indicators, these are unlikely to give us a complete picture of reef health.  The diagnosis must also include an assessment of future trends—the health prognosis. This prognosis cannot be made without knowledge of the status and trends of key ecosystem drivers. Enter the human dimension.

The purpose of this workshop is to consider a complementary suite of socio-cultural, biophysical and ecological indicators which include economic, governance, cultural and human health aspects, to capture the links between social and ecological factors that shape coral reef ecosystem health.  As a background for the discussion, participants are invited to read a paper produced by the World Bank recently on “Measuring Coral Reef Ecosystem Health:  Integrating Societal Dimensions.”  Participants may also wish to consult the website of a new initiative, Healthy Reefs for Healthy People (http://Healthyreefs.org), which aims to elucidate the ties between coral reef health and human health as a way to build public support for maintaining the former. 

[Participant List]

Agenda

Coral Reef Ecosystem Health Learning Workshop
GEF/IW:Learn Structured Learning Event
ITMEMS 3
El Cozumeleño Hotel, Cozumel, Mexico
October 15, 2006

Lessons-Learned from the Event

What does a manager’s framework require?

1.    Management-friendly databases are needed that are easy to access and interpret.
2.    Improved social marketing of the conservation message is necessary to effect change (i.e. how do we get the message across to the stakeholders and general public?).
3.    Advertising campaigns are needed on behalf of healthy coral reefs and their benefits to society.
4.    There is a need for tools to discriminate among various possible indicators to collect only key indicators that resonate with the target audience.
5.    Rigorous methods are required to ensure that the data collected will be sufficient to detect change.