WRI Publications Feed: Reefs at Risk

2011 Eco-Audit of the Mesoamerican Reef Countries

Maggie Barron — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:59:57 -0500

The Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) provides a diverse array of goods and services to the people of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. It is our shared heritage. Unfortunately, the health of the reef is declining, as documented by the 2008 and 2010 Report Cards published by the Healthy Reefs Initiative. The decline stems, at least in part, from inadequate management of threats to coral reefs. This Eco-Audit evaluates our efforts to protect and sustainably manage the region’s coral reefs; celebrates management success stories; and documents the extent to which recommended management actions have been implemented in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. It seeks to catalyze faster, more effective management responses and to increase accountability within the public and private sectors and among nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

An Innovative, Rigorous Process

The Healthy Reefs Initiative (HRI), in collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI) and local partners, developed and implemented this first-ever multinational Eco-Audit of the Mesoamerican Reef Countries.

Evaluation criteria are comprehensive and inclusive.

Twenty-two standardized management indicators were developed across seven themes, such as fisheries management and coastal zone management.1 The Eco-Audit draws on input from a variety of NGOs, governmental agencies, and the private sector, and includes transparently verified and publicly available results. In September and October 2011, HRI and WRI convened four national workshops, whose purpose was for participants to collectively rank each indicator and to compile documents to verify the rankings.

Analysis is objective, science-based, and validated.

HRI and its regional partners are committed to maintaining audit standards that are unbiased, fact-based, transparent, and replicable. The financial and management auditing firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers Costa Rica (PwC)2 reviewed the methodology and provided feedback on the processes, indicators, and quality of the verification documentation.

Data quality will be enhanced over time.

This first Eco-Audit establishes a baseline regarding the status of reef ecosystem management efforts. The results are intended to guide data collection and compilation for future Eco-Audits, which will occur every two years. These biennial Eco-Audits and the biennial HRI Reef Report Cards will occur in alternating years, thereby providing a routine accounting of reef health and efforts to improve it. As data collection becomes more complete and the database grows, we anticipate that the Eco-Audit will evolve, becoming more quantitative and comprehensive in its evaluation of management efforts.

Slideshow

2011 Eco-Audit of Mesoamerica Reef Countries

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Coastal Capital: Jamaica

Maggie Barron — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:01:16 -0400

This analysis includes a valuation of coral reef-associated fisheries, potential losses to tourism due to beach erosion, and examines the role of coral reefs in reducing coastal flooding during storms. In addition, we provide a literature review of 16 coral reef valuations conducted in Jamaica.

Reefs at Risk Revisited

Maggie Barron — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:09:04 -0500

View a Google map of Reefs at Risk

Summary: Reefs at Risk Revisited

Under the Reefs at Risk Revisited project, WRI and its partners have developed a new, detailed assessment of the status of and threats to the world’s coral reefs. This information is intended to raise awareness about the location and severity of threats to coral reefs. These results can also catalyze opportunities for changes in policy and practice that could safeguard coral reefs and the benefits they provide to people for future generations.

Reefs at Risk Revisited is a high-resolution update of the original global analysis, Reefs at Risk: A Map-Based Indicator of Threats to the World’s Coral Reefs. Reefs at Risk Revisited uses a global map of coral reefs at 500-m resolution, which is 64 times more detailed than the 4-km resolution map used in the 1998 analysis, and benefits from improvements in many global data sets used to evaluate threats to reefs (most threat data are at 1 km resolution, which is 16 times more detailed than those used in the 1998 analysis).

Like the original Reefs at Risk, this study evaluates threats to coral reefs from a wide range of human activities. For the first time, it also includes an assessment of climate-related threats to reefs. In addition, Reefs at Risk Revisited includes a global assessment of the vulnerability of nations and territories to coral reef degradation, based on their dependence on coral reefs and their capacity to adapt.

WRI led the Reefs at Risk Revisited analysis in collaboration with a broad partnership of more than 25 research, conservation, and educational organizations. Partners have provided data, offered guidance on the analytical approach, contributed to the report, and served as critical reviewers of the maps and findings.

Selected Media

energyNOW, Saving the Rainforest of the Ocean
American Way Magazine, Reeling Reefs
NPR, World’s Coral Reefs Facing Serious Threats
The New York Times, Deeper Peril for Coral Reefs
PBS Newshour, Scientists Forecast an Altered Ocean
The Guardian, Coral reefs report warns of mass loss threat
AFP, World’s coral reefs could be gone by 2050: study
Voice of America, Report: 75 Percent of World’s Coral Reefs Threatened

Data & Resources DVD

A DVD companion to the Reefs at Risk Revisited report is available upon request. To order a copy, please email reefsatrisk@wri.org, and include a brief description of how you plan to apply the data. The DVD contains:

A comprehensive set of GIS data (raw input data and model results);
KML files (for viewing on Google Earth);
PDF of the Reefs at Risk Revisited report;
Technical notes;
A complete set of maps in jpeg format;
Summary video; and
Links to additional resources.

GIS Data Sets

Base Data: Data (ZIP archive, 150.8 Mb) | Meta Data (Excel, 17 Kb)
Global Threats: Data (ZIP archive, 97.9 Mb) | Meta Data (Excel, 15 Kb)
Local Threats: Data (ZIP archive, 206.7 Mb) | Meta Data (Excel, 15 Kb)
Local Threats (Vector Only): Data (ZIP archive, 74.0 Mb) | Meta Data (Excel, 13 Kb)

KML Files

Use these files in Google Earth and other map applications that support KML.

Fact Sheets

Global (PDF, 2 pages, 994 Kb)
Atlantic (PDF, 2 pages, 1.1 Mb)
Australia (PDF, 2 pages, 1.0 Mb)
Indian Ocean (PDF, 2 pages, 1.1 Mb)
Middle East (PDF, 2 pages, 1.0 Mb)
Pacific (PDF, 2 pages, 1.1 Mb)
Southeast Asia (PDF, 2 pages, 1.1 Mb)

Video

Footage starts at 1:06.

What’s Ahead for Power Plants & Industry? Using the Clean Air Act to Reduce GHGs, Building on Regional Programs

Maggie Barron — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:20:06 -0500

Executive Summary

In the absence of congressional action on climate change, all eyes are on the states and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to see how they will regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing large power plants and industrial facilities. Indeed, power plants and industrial facilities are the sources of half of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making those plants and facilities central to any effort to reduce the country’s total emissions. This working paper explores a promising pathway for the states and EPA to make these reductions using the standards of performance under section 111 of the Clean Air Act.

EPA has announced that it will begin the process for regulating power plants and refineries under section 111. EPA has scheduled listening sessions with stakeholders and intends to issue draft performance standards for new and modified power plants by July 26, 2011, and at the same time issue to the states a draft mandatory guideline that requires states to develop plans to impose performance standards on existing power plants. The final performance standards and mandatory guidelines are expected in May 2012. The process for refineries will lag behind that for the electricity sector by about six months, with draft rules to be issued in December 2011 and final rules expected in November 2012.

Like many other requirements of the Clean Air Act (the Act), the standards of performance under section 111 are designed and implemented through a federal-state partnership. EPA lists the categories of sources and establishes performance standards for new and modified emitters within listed categories. EPA also establishes a mandatory “guideline” for states, creating a federal “floor” for regulation of existing sources that applies only if the states fail to set their own standards of performance that meet or exceed this floor. This guideline includes possible “system[s] of emission reduction” that the states may use to set standards of performance. In promulgating these plans, the states will have considerable flexibility, since the standards of performance under section 111(d) may take the form of traditional emissions rate limitations or any number of other more flexible mechanisms. The emergence of state cap-and-trade programs raises the question of whether these cap-and-trade programs could be used to meet a state’s obligations under section 111(d) of the Act.

The traditional approach to regulating power plant and industrial facilities is through performance standards that prescribe specific emissions limitations on individual sources. This approach has been used for years to control conventional pollutant emissions, and is the safest approach from a legal defensibility standpoint. Because many states have already begun regulating some existing sources using cap and trade, the traditional approach may not be the one preferred by the states or their stakeholders. Indeed, states that have already chosen to reduce emissions from power plants and industry using flexible, marketbased approaches, can be expected to develop plans calling for alternatives to the traditional source-specific performance standards. EPA under George W. Bush concluded that the Clean Air Act allows cap and trade as a demonstrated and effective form of regulation under Section 111(d), and the Obama EPA has not contested this interpretation. Until federal courts rule on this approach, however, there will be some uncertainty about its viability.

The assumption that the states and many of their stakeholders will propose cap and trade under section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act has led to a number of questions around program design features, such as whether the Act allows offsets, or trading across listed categories of sources and whether the existing regional cap-and-trade program designs would be acceptable to EPA under section 111(d). Even though many of these issues are questions of first impression and therefore cannot be answered with absolute certainty, this paper explores the arguments for and against specific cap-and-trade design features in the context of section 111, including the implications for existing and planned regional cap-and-trade programs.

Findings

This working paper examines the process for establishing performance standards covering existing power plants and industrial facilities in the United States and finds:

Congress granted the EPA and the states considerable flexibility in determining how to cover existing power plants and industrial facilities under section 111 of the Clean Air Act.
After lengthy collaboration with stakeholders, twenty-three states designed and many implemented flexible, marketbased emissions-trading mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants and industrial facilities.
The discretion afforded to states under the Clean Air Act should permit them to propose a variety of policy mechanisms, including cap and trade.
The regional cap-and-trade designs present specific opportunities and challenges when reconciling the designs with section 111 of the act, including the following:
- Offsets cannot be used to meet federal minimum reductions but may be allowed above and beyond federal minimums.
- Trading between regulated categories of sources depends on the EPA’s interpretation of the act.
- Borrowing and safety valve mechanisms are problematic unless they can be designed to ensure minimum reductions within federal time frames.

Watershed Analysis for the Mesoamerican Reef

Richard Waite — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500

En Español

Under the Watershed Management Theme of the ICRAN MAR partnership, WRI led a two-year, collaborative effort to evaluate the land-based threats posed to the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) from human alterations of the landscape.

The analysis quantifies sediment and nutrients coming from over 400 watersheds that discharge along the MAR. The analysis seeks to inform land-use planning, agricultural policy and practice, conservation priorities, and coastal threat mitigation efforts. It is the first of this scope and level of detail for the MAR region.

Specifically, the analysis evaluates the amount of sediment and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) coming from each plot of land; the amount of eroded sediment and nutrients reaching the river mouth; and the amount of sediment reaching the reef. It also provides estimates of the increases in sediment and nutrient delivery that have resulted from human activities, and predictions of future sediment and nutrient delivery in 2025 based on varying land-use scenarios.

The results provide a preliminary overview of regional patterns of sediment and nutrient runoff and delivery, and indicate how human alteration of the landscape can influence these patterns.

To ensure that the project’s results and analytical methods support concrete action, WRI has made the underlying data, analytical methods, and modeling tools publicly available, and has conducted extensive training sessions in the region. Policymakers can implement targeted analyses in smaller areas, calibrating them to local conditions.

Watershed Analysis for the Mesoamerican Reef Data CD – The CD contains all data used in the analysis, with accompanying metadata as well as all of the model results. To order the CD, please contact reefsatrisk@wri.org or lagudelo@icran.org.

En Español

Bajo el componente de Manejo de Cuencas de la Alianza ICRAN-MAR, el Instituto de los Recursos Mundiales (WRI) lideró un esfuerzo colaborativo de dos años para evaluar las amenazas sobre el Arrecife Mesoamericano (MAR) provocadas por alteraciones humanas al paisaje terrestre.

El análisis cuantifica el sedimento y los nutrientes provenientes de 400 cuencas que descargan en el MAR. El propósito de este análisis es proporcionar información para los planes ordenamiento territorial, las políticas y prácticas agrícolas, las prioridades de conservación y los esfuerzos de mitigación de amenazas costeras. Este análisis es el primero de este alcance y nivel de detalle para la región del MAR.

El análisis evalúa la cantidad de sedimento y nutrientes (nitrógeno y fósforo) que se originan en cada parcela de tierra, la cantidad de sedimento erosionado y nutrientes que drenan a la desembocadura de los ríos, así como la cantidad de sedimento que llega al arrecife. Adicionalmente, el análisis proporciona un valor estimado de los incrementos en sedimento y descarga de nutrientes que han resultado como consecuencia de actividades humanas; también entrega varias predicciones de descarga de sedimento y nutrientes para el año 2025, basadas en diferentes escenarios de uso del suelo.

Los resultados proporcionan una visión general de los patrones regionales de escorrentía y descarga de sedimentos y nutrientes, e indican cómo la alteración humana del paisaje puede influir sobre estos patrones.

Para garantizar que los resultados del proyecto y los métodos analíticos apoyen acciones concretas en la región, WRI ha dispuesto que los datos de base, los métodos analíticos y las herramientas de modelación estén disponibles al público en general, y ha efectuado extensas sesiones de entrenamiento en la región. Los encargados de desarrollar políticas pueden realizar análisis más específicos en áreas más pequeñas, calibrando estas herramientas a sus condiciones locales.

Análisis de Cuencas para el Arrecife Mesoamericano CD – contiene todos los datos utilizados en el análisis, así como los metadatos de acompañamiento y los resultados de la modelación. Para ordenar el CD, por favor contácte reefsatrisk@wri.org o lagudelo@icran.org.

Land-based Sources of Threat to Coral Reefs in the US Virgin Islands

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Alteration of the natural landscape for development, road construction, or agriculture can have adverse impacts on coral reefs through increased delivery of sediment and pollution to coastal waters. The threat associated with land clearing is higher in areas of steep relief, intense precipitation, and where soils are erosive in nature.

This study uses several spatial and statistical techniques to characterize watersheds across the USVI with regard to relative erosion rates and the threat of land-based sources of sediment and pollutant delivery to coastal waters. A simplified version of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) using slope, land-cover, precipitation, and soil characteristics is applied, as well as indicators of road density and erosivity by watershed.

Watersheds are an essential unit for analysis, since they link land areas with their point of discharge to the sea. The atlas presents a comparison of estimated watershed-based threat to coral reefs from both land cover change and road development.

Collaboration

The project was implemented by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in collaboration with many local institutions and other partners. Collaborating institutions were vital sources of information, provided guidance on the analytical approach, and offered critical review of analysis results. Groups which contributed data or provided guidance on the project include:

US National Fish and Wildlife Service

The Ocean Conservancy

International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN)

Data assembled or developed under this collaboration, including analysis results, are published on the Coastal Data CD for the U.S. Caribbean, which is available by sending an e-mail to reefsatrisk@wri.org. The data CD serves as a GIS data sampler for both the USVI and Puerto Rico, allowing users to do their own analysis of land-based sources of threat.

The atlas, Land-based Sources of Threat to Coral Reefs in the US Virgin Islands, provides a summary of some of the spatial indicators developed under the project. The atlas is available as both high-resolution PDF (for printing) and low-resolution PDF (for screen display).

Belize Coastal Threat Atlas

Richard Waite — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 09:09:53 -0400

Coastal ecosystems of Belize are threatened by both local threats (coastal development, pollution, sediments, overfishing) and broader scale threats (transboundary sediment and pollution, coral bleaching, coral disease). Pressure on the reefs will continue to grow as development increases, but better management can help reduce the threat and protect these valuable ecosystems in order to maintain their sustainable use.

The Reefs at Risk in Belize project was developed to improve access to information on coral reefs in Belize in support of better management of coastal resources.

Information available on threats to and condition of coral reefs in Belize is limited and uneven, but is improving. Several Belizean NGOs have done assessments of resources within selected marine protected areas, and have detailed information for these areas. During 2004, the Wildlife Conservation Society, Belize Audubon Society, Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute and World Wildlife Fund held a series of threat assessment and mapping workshops where coastal resource users (stakeholders) and scientists mapped known threats to coral reefs in Belize. One workshop was held for each of the four major reef systems—the Belize Barrier Reef, Glover’s Reef, Lighthouse Reef, and Turneffe Atoll.

These detailed assessments and expert mapping of threats have been complemented by an analytical approach implemented under the Reefs at Risk in Belize project. Reefs at Risk Belize is centered on the use of a geographical information system (GIS) to visualize and analyze the relationship between human activities (pressures) and coral reef health.

The project has developed a series of standardized indicators of human pressure on coral reefs from coastal development and marine-based threats and from land-based sources of sediment and pollution. The analysis of land-based threats includes a watershed-based analysis for all watersheds discharging along the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef region. This atlas provides an opportunity to compare modeled estimates of threat with those derived from expert opinion.

For new estimates of watershed-based threats to the Mesoamerican Reef, check out Watershed Analysis for the Mesoamerican Reef.

Belize Coastal Data CD

The CD version of this report contains spatial data sets reflecting physical, environmental, and socioeconomic variables for Belize; maps of threats to coral reefs in Belize developed by local stakeholders and scientists; and modeled estimates of threats to the Belize Barrier Reef and the Mesoamerican Reef. All spatial data have metadata. In addition, the CD contains technical reports on threats to the coastal environment of Belize and the Mesoamerican region.

Spatial data sets are best viewed using ESRI ArcView software or ESRI ArcGIS software.

To order a copy of this data CD, contact reefsatrisk@wri.org.

Reefs at Risk in the Caribbean

Richard Waite — Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:00:00 -0400

Many people in coastal communities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean depend on the natural resources provided by reefs for their livelihoods. Ensuring proper management of the reefs is vital for the economic and environmental health of the region, but there is a lack of quality information about the relationship between human activities and coral reef condition across the region. The Reefs at Risk in the Caribbean project was a response to this information need. The primary goal of the project was to raise awareness and improve management of coral reefs across the region through improving the knowledge base on the status of and threats to coral reefs. In collaboration with partner institutions across the region, we implemented an analysis to link human activities with reef condition. A major component of the project involved modeling (estimating) threat to coral reefs from human activities.

Key findings from this report include:

Nearly two-thirds of coral reefs in the Caribbean are threatened by human activities. Integrating threat levels from all sources considered in this analysis (coastal development, watershed-based sediment and pollution, marine based threats, and overfishing), the Reefs at Risk Threat Index identified about one-tenth of Caribbean coral reefs at very high levels of threat, one-third at high threat, one fifth at medium threat, and one-third at low threat.
An estimated one-third of Caribbean coral reefs are threatened by coastal development. This includes sewage discharge, urban runoff, construction, and tourist development.
Sediment and pollution from inland sources threaten about one-third of Caribbean coral reefs. Analysis of more than 3,000 watersheds across the region identified 20 percent of coral reefs at high threat and about 15 percent at medium threat from damage caused by increased sediment and pollution from agricultural lands and other land modification.
Marine-based threats to coral reefs are widespread across the Caribbean. Our indicator of marine-based damage and pollution identified about 15 percent of Caribbean reefs as threatened by discharge of wastewater from cruise ships, tankers and yachts, leaks or spills from oil infrastructure, and damage from ship groundings and anchors.
Overfishing threatens over 60 percent of Caribbean coral reefs. Fishing above sustainable levels affects coral reefs by altering the ecological balance of the reef. The removal of herbivorous fish, which consume algae, facilitates algal overgrowth of corals. Declines in coral cover and increases in algal cover have been observed across the region. This analysis identified about one-third of Caribbean reefs at high threat from overfishing pressure and about 30 percent at medium threat.
Diseases and rising sea temperatures threaten to damage coral reefs across the Caribbean region. Diseases have caused profound changes in Caribbean coral reefs in the past 30 years, with very few areas unscathed by disease, even reefs far removed from human influence. In addition, coral bleaching episodes-the most direct evidence of stress from global climate change on Caribbean marine biodiversity-are on the rise.
Ineffective management of protected areas further threatens Caribbean coral reefs. With the growth of tourism, fisheries, and other development in coral reef areas, marine protected areas (MPAs) are an important tool for safeguarding coral reefs. At present, over 285 MPAs have been declared across the Caribbean, but the level of protection afforded by MPAs varies considerably. The Reefs at Risk Project found only 6 percent of MPAs to be rated as effectively managed and 13 percent as having partially effective management.
The coastal communities and national economies of the Caribbean region are poised to sustain substantial economic losses if current trends in coral reef degradation continue. Coral reefs provide valuable goods and services to support local and national economies, and degradation of coral reefs can lead to significant economic losses, particularly in the coastal areas of developing countries, through loss of fishing livelihoods, malnutrition due to lack of protein, loss of tourism revenues, and increased coastal erosion. Analyses carried out by the Reefs at Risk project indicate that Caribbean coral reefs provide goods and services with an annual net economic value in 2000 estimated at between US$3.1 billion and US$4.6 billion from fisheries, dive tourism, and shoreline protection services.

Reefs at Risk Caribbean on CD

The CD version of this report includes:

Over 30 spatial data sets reflecting physical, environmental and socioeconomic variables for the Wider Caribbean;
user-friendly map viewing software (ESRI ArcReader);
Detailed country profiles for 35 Caribbean countries and territories
Full technical notes on the threat modeling method;
Technical notes on data sources and methods for the economic valuation;
Complete set of maps in high and low resolution JPEG format.

To order a copy of the CD, contact reefsatrisk@wri.org.

Downloadable GIS Data Sets

Both download options provide estimates of threat to coral reefs for the four individual threats (coastal development, marine-based threats, overfishing, and sediment and pollution from upland sources), in addition to integrated threat – the Reefs at Risk threat index.

Vector Data Sets (ZIP archive, 20.7 Mb) including data on coral reef locations, estimated threat to coral reefs from human activities, watersheds boundaries, and marine protected areas, all in ESRI ArcView shapefile format in Geographic projection.

This option five polygon data sets reflecting estimated threats from human activities; five point data sets reflecting coral reef locations by these estimated threats; a polygon data set of watershed boundaries (with associated erosion estimates); a point data set reflecting river mouths and estimated relative sediment delivery; a polygon data set reflecting country boundaries; a line data set reflecting the coastline; and a point data set reflecting cruise ship ports of call. The zip file also includes an ArcView project file (rrcar_vec.apr) which requires ESRI’s ArcView software.
GRID Data Sets (ZIP archive, 32.7 Mb) including data on coral reef locations, estimated threat to coral reefs from human activities, relative erosion rates across the landscape, and bathymetry, all in ESRI ArcView GRID format in Lambert Equal-Area Azimuthal projection.

This option five GRID data sets reflecting estimated threat to coral reefs from human activities; five GRID data sets reflecting coral reef locations classified by estimated threat; a GRID data set reflecting estimated relative erosion rates across the landscape; and a GRID reflecting Bathymetry. All GRIDs are in Lambert Equal-Area Azimuthal projection.

In addition, the zip file includes several vector shapefiles in Geographic projection – polygon watershed boundaries (with associated erosion estimates), polygon country boundaries, and a point data set reflecting river mouths and estimated relative sediment delivery. The zip file also includes an ArcView project file (rrcar_gr.apr) which requires ESRI’s ArcView software and Spatial Analyst 2.0 extension.

Online GIS

Reefs at Risk in the Caribbean data are available through two online GIS services:

ReefBase. Reefs at Risk results from the global (1998), Southeast Asia (2002) and Caribbean (2004) analyses are available from ReefBase’s online GIS. This site displays Reefs at Risk threat analysis results along with a range of other reef-related data sets and satellite images.
Caribbean Reefs at Risk. A web site focused on threats to Caribbean coral reefs has been developed through a partnership of the World Resources Institute (WRI), The University of the West Indies Caribbean Coastal Data Center (UWI-CDC), International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN), United Nations Environment Programme, Caribbean Environment Programme (UNEP-CEP), and the United States Geological Survey - National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII). The site provides base data on the Caribbean basin, watersheds, and land-based threats to coral reefs, highlighting the results of the Reefs at Risk in the Caribbean analysis. The site provides mapping using online GIS, as well as data for download accompanied by metadata.

Highlighting Coral Reefs in Coastal Planning and Management in Sabah, Malaysia

Richard Waite — Fri, 20 Jun 2003 00:00:00 -0400

This project used the tools, techniques and data developed under the Reefs at Risk in Southeast Asia project to implement more detailed analyses of threats to coastal resources in Sabah in close collaboration with local partners. Another key aspect of the project was dissemination of results in order to raise awareness of other government officials and the public and improve management of coral reefs. Ultimately, this led to the development of legislation restricting coastal development near coral reefs in Sabah.

This project was generously supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Project Partners

Town and Regional Planning Department (TRPD), Sabah, Malaysia
Borneo Marine Research Institute of the University Malaysia Sabah (UMS/BMRI)
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) working group
Serge Andrefouet, University of South Florida

Reefs at Risk in Southeast Asia

Richard Waite — Fri, 01 Feb 2002 00:00:00 -0500

Read in Bahasa Indonesian/Baca dalam Bahasa

People have coexisted with coral reef ecosystems in Southeast Asia for thousands of years. With more than 350 million people living within 50 km of the coast, coral reefs are important not only in local communities’ cultures, but are also critical to the economic health of these nations.

Despite their worth, coral reefs in Southeast Asia face unprecedented threat levels from human activities. The population explosion during the last 50 years is driving many of the current pressures and is creating elevated, often unsustainable demand on both the terrestrial and marine resources of the region. These pressures are jeopardizing the incredible value of coral reefs, whose loss would have significant economic impacts for the region.

Key findings of the report include:

Biological endowment. Southeast Asia contains nearly 100,000 square kilometers of coral reefs, almost 34 percent of the world total. With over 600 of the almost 800 reef-building coral species, these reefs have the highest levels of marine biodiversity on earth. Southeast Asia is also the global center of biodiversity for coral reef fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. The region also contains 51 of the world’s 70 mangrove species and 23 of the 50 seagrass species.

The economic value associated with coral reefs in Southeast Asia is substantial. The value of the region’s sustainable coral reef fisheries alone is US$2.4 billion per year. In addition, coral reefs are vital to food security, employment, tourism, pharmaceutical research, and shoreline protection. The coral reefs of Indonesia and the Philippines provide annual economic benefits estimated at US$1.6 billion and US$1.1 billion per year, respectively.

Threats to reefs. The heavy reliance on marine resources across Southeast Asia has resulted in the overexploitation and degradation of many coral reefs, particularly those near major population centers. The main threats include overfishing, destructive fishing practices, and sedimentation and pollution from land-based sources. Human activities now threaten an estimated 88 percent of Southeast Asia’s coral reefs, jeopardizing their biological and economic value to society. For 50 percent of these reefs, the level of threat is “high” or “very high.” Only 12 percent of reefs are at low risk.

Effective management is key to maintaining coastal resources, but, is inadequate across much of the region. Some 646 marine protected areas (MPAs) cover an estimated 8 percent of the coral reefs. Of the 332 MPAs whose management effectiveness could be determined, only 14 percent were rated as effectively managed, 48 percent have partially effective management, and 38 percent have inadequate management.

Lack of information. Despite widespread recognition that coral reefs are severely threatened, information about the status and nature of the threats to specific reef areas is limited. This lack of information inhibits effective decisionmaking concerning coastal resources. The Reefs at Risk project was developed to address this deficiency by creating standardized indicators that raise awareness about threats to coral reefs and to highlight the linkages between human activity and coral reef condition.

Reefs at Risk in Southeast Asia CD

The Reefs at Risk in Southeast Asia (RRSEA) Data CD contains the range of data assembled and model results developed under the RRSEA project. Included on this CD are over fifty spatial data sets reflecting physical, environmental and socioeconomic variables for Southeast Asia as well as the results of the modeling of human pressure on coral reefs for the region. The CD also provides full technical notes on the threat modeling method and the Reefs at Risk report in .PDF format.

Spatial data sets are best viewed using ESRI ArcView software, but can also be viewed using ESRI ArcExplorer, a public domain software provided on this CD.

To order a copy of this CD, contact reefsatrisk@wri.org.

GIS Data Sets

Point Data Sets (ZIP archive, 24.7 Mb) reflecting coral reef locations classified by estimated threat. This option provides six point data sets, a polygon data set of watershed boundaries (with associated erosion estimates) and a polygon data set reflecting country boundaries. (The six threat estimates are for the individual threats - coastal development, marine-based pollution, overfishing, destructive fishing, and sediment and pollution from upland sources, in addition to integrated threat – the Reefs at Risk threat index.) The archive also includes an ArcView project file which requires ESRI’s ArcView software.
GRID Data Sets (ZIP archive, 23.1 Mb) reflecting threat estimates, and coral reef locations classified by threat estimate. This option provides 17 grid data sets, a polygon data set of watershed boundaries (with associated erosion estimates) and a polygon data set reflecting country boundaries. The grid data sets include both a threat surface (a threat estimate for all areas) and reef locations classified by the threat estimate for each of the threats considered. These are coastal development, marine-based pollution, overfishing, destructive fishing, and sediment and pollution from upland sources, in addition to integrated threat - the Reefs at Risk threat index. The archive also includes an ArcView project file which requires ESRI’s ArcView software and Spatial Analyst 2.0 extension.

Bahasa Indonesian

Menteri Kelautan dan Perikanan Indonesia Kata Pengantar

Puji syukur ke hadirat Tuhan Yang Maha Esa atas berkat dan bimbinganNya sehingga World Research Institute (WRI) dapat menerbitkan buku Reefs at Risk Southeast Asia-Summary for Indonesia yang kemudian diterjemahkan dalam bahasa Indonesia dengan judul Terumbu Karang yang Terancam di Asia Tenggara-Ringkasan untuk Indonesia.

Sebagai negara kepulauan terbesar dan secara geografis terletak di antara Samudera Pasifik dan Samudera Hindia, keanekaragaman hayati laut Indonesia tak tehitung jumlahnya. Terumbu karang Indonesia sangat beraneka ragam dan memegang peranan yang sangat penting dalam menjaga keseimbangan lingkungan dan menyumbangkan stabilitas fisik pada garis pantai tetangga sekitarnya. Oleh karena itu harus dilindungi dan dikembangkan secara terus menerus baik untuk kepentingan generasi sekarang maupun generasi mendatang.

Terumbu karang sangat mudah terpengaruh oleh kondisi lingkungan sekitarnya baik secara fisik juga biologis. Akibat kombinasi dampak negatif langsung dan tidak langsung pada terumbu karang Indonesia, sebagian besar terumbu karang di wilayah Indonesia saat ini sudah mengalami kerusakan yang sangat parah. Bagaimanapun juga, tekanan terhadap keberadaan terumbu karang paling banyak diakibatkan oleh kegiatan manusia, sehingga perlu dilakukan langkah-langkah pencegahan. Peningkatan kegiatan manusia sepanjang garis pantai semakin memperparah kondisi terumbu karang.

Oleh karena itu merupakan kebutuhan mendesak untuk menerapkan konservasi dan rencana-rencana pengelolaan yang baik untuk melindungi terumbu karang dari kerusakan yang semakin parah. Langkah dan kebijakan yang perlu dilakukan untuk mengurangi ancaman terhadap terumbu karang di Indonesia adalah dengan meningkatkan kesadaran masyarakat terhadap perlunya menjaga kelestarian terumbu karang dan mengadakan perencanaan pengelolaan wilayah pesisir yang baik dengan cara mengidentifikasi tingkat kerawanan dari terumbu karang dan meningkatkan pengelolaan yang berkesinambungan.

Saya berharap dengan terbitnya buku Terumbu Karang yang Terancam di Asia Tenggara-Ringkasan untuk Indonesia ini menjadi referensi yang baik bagi pemeliharaan dan pengembangan terumbu karang yang berkelanjutan di Asia Tenggara dan dapat meningkatkan kesadaran serta keterlibatan semua pihak dalam menjaga kelestarian terumbu karang di Indonesia.

Rokhmin Dahuri Menteri Kelautan dan Perikanan Republik Indonesia