UPDATE
- Chris Crossland
As we conclude our third year of operation, there have been some real advances in the science the Centre is producing, and a tangible benefit in the merging of research teams across disciplines and institutions.
The Effects of Fishing team have produced two reports for the Queensland Fisheries Management Authority (QFMA) analysing the logbook data provided by commercial and by recreational line fishers, and have provided the first evidence about the state of the fishery for the QFMA, which proved to be seminal in their calls for public input to the management of the line fishery.
Ken Woolfe and Piers Larcombe have been examining the effect of terrigenous sediment on the distribution of reef carbonates. Water clarity and sediment supply to the coastal ocean appear to be relatively inconsequential in the establishment of coral reefs, which are more strongly controlled by sediment accumulation, and hence substrate availability, than they are by sediment supply alone. Sediment accumulation is, in turn, partly controlled by local oceanography and sediment transport.
Paul O'Neill, of the Department of Environment in Rockhampton, with others, has presented preliminary results of 12 years of six-monthly monitoring of the masked booby (Sula dactylatra), the brown booby (Sula leucogaster) and the silver gull (Larus novaehollandiae) in the Swain Reefs. Significant declines in the numbers of adults and nests of the brown booby, and in the number of adult silver gills, were detected, although human factors did not appear to have been influential. Reductions in food supply, probably associated with elevated sea surface temperatures induced by El Niño appear to be the most likely cause.
Gregg Brunskill at the Australian Institute of Marine Science and Stewart Walker at James Cook University have been collaborating in taking grab samples and sediment cores from Upstart and Bowling Green Bays. In cores taken off Cape Bowling Green, in the plume of the Burdekin River, they have discovered a large spike of mercury which was deposited between 1870 and 1890 - the years in which Charters Towers and Ravenswood were in full gold production. So history really is written in mud.
Many speakers reported on the serious decline of coral reefs globally, especially reefs near shallow shelves and dense populations. The scientific community has been raising concerns over the serious decline of reefs for some years. Damaged or destroyed reefs can be found in more than 93 countries, with coral reefs in Southeast Asia, East Africa and the Caribbean seemingly at the greatest risk. Mangrove depletion is prevalent in many countries, and in places massive mortality of seagrasses has resulted from a combination of changes in ambient conditions and the susceptibility of seagrasses to increased organic loadings from domestic, industrial and agricultural wastes. Many countries with coral reef ecosystems have limited trained staff and/or the capacity to apply scientific management principles to protect their reefs. At the same time, coral reef research has not always provided information useful to managers or policy makers as they endeavour to take timely action.
Reports on the two-year old International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) provided a positive focus on the actions necessary to reverse this worrying trend. This informal world network of United Nations programs, regional organisations, multilateral lending institutions and non-government organisations (NGOs), who have pledged support for strong regional partnerships, continues to grow through ICRI workshops and other activities.
Dr John Ogden, president of the International Coral Reef Committee, said in his keynote address, 'political indifference is the primary reason preventing countries from effectively protecting and managing their coral reefs... marine parks and reserves are a good first step, but the marine environment must be managed as a total ecosystem which is heavily influenced by human activity along the coastal zone'.
While Australia continues to enjoy an international reputation as a world leader in coral reef science and management we must not become complacent. Regional partnerships between government agencies, scientific institutions, NGOs and user groups - such as those developed by Australia's 25 Year Strategic Plan for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and the CRC Reef Research Centre - certainly emerged as the preferred management model for better understanding and conserving the world's coral reefs.
Summarising how science can help produce data for long-term marine management, Dr Ogden claimed coral reef scientists are being overwhelmed by demands for information from coastal management agencies.
`Environmental problems on coral reefs throughout the world, caused by overfishing, coastal pollution, eutrophication, erosion and urban development cannot be solved by good science and technology alone. They are predominantly social problems requiring political solutions,' he said.
One interesting observation was the noticeable lack of socioeconomic research presentations about coral reefs during the symposium. This is one area the CRC Reef Research Centre is trying to enhance as part of its applied research program over the next few years. It seems understanding and managing people - their habits, traditions, expectations and needs - is often more important for coral reefs than understanding the natural processes of reefs.
At the end of the symposium, more than 1200 participants signed a pledge to support the International Year of the Reef in 1997, a global effort to protect reefs through research, education and conservation. During 1997, International Year of the Reef programs will take place around the world - mostly projects initiated at the local level - including research to assess the condition of coral reef sites from the Bahamas to the Philippines, and educational programs using schools, public aquariums, television, radio and the World Wide Web to inform the public about our valuable coral reefs.
It's now up to us to continue leading innovative research, education and sustainable use activities for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
Let's keep it Great.
ADDRESS
Post Office James Cook University, Townsville Queensland 4811
Phone: (077) 81 4976 Fax: (077) 81 4099
E-mail: crcreef@jcu.edu.au Internet site: CRC Reef Research Centre Online
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
PO Box 1379 TOWNSVILLE QLD 4810. Phone: (077) 500 700, Fax: (077) 726 093
E-mail: registry@gbrmpa.gov.au