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Jan

9

2008
 
 

A quarter of a billion footprints



Caribbean coral reefs suffer from the mere presence of humans, study shows

If only it was just one...A large-scale study of potential threats to coral reef health has found one that dominates all others: us. Writing in the Proceedings of the Royal Society this week, Camilo Mora and Robert Ginsberg show that human-caused impacts – coastal development, agricultural run-off, fishing pressure and the sheer density of humans living around the Caribbean coastline – exert the strongest influence on coral reef health. Worse, some of these factors work in concert with others. For example, temperature- or disease-triggered coral die-offs allow macroalgal blooms that exceed the ability of the reef’s herbivores to control them. Agricultural fertilizers and sewage-based nutrients finding their way to the sea then fuel the explosive growth, resulting in a feedback loop that is tough to break. The Dalhousie and Miami University duo suggest that now it’s clear that what goes on above the water surface can have a major effect on what goes on below it, perhaps it’s time to consider tougher land-based controls around Marine Protected Areas. A whole-system approach? We need an unprecedented outbreak of common sense first… Source: Mora C & Ginsburg R (2008) A clear human footprint on the Caribbean coral reefs. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.1472

Image © Norbert Rehm

Filed Under Climate change, Community-based conservation, Economics and conservation, Endangered species, Habitat, Marine, Monitoring, Restoration, Socio-political issues | 

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