|
Hawai'i
Coral Reef Initiative
Research Program
Overview
As an island state, Hawaii hosts exceptional and beautiful coral reef ecosystems. The
410,000 acres of coral reef comprise almost 85% of all coral reef ecosystems under US
jurisdiction. The state’s coral reefs ecosystems have over 5,000 known species of
marine plants and animals, many of which are endemic. Besides their vast coverage
throughout the state, these coral reef ecosystems are culturally, economically, and
biologically critical to Hawaii’s future. Areas of intensified land and human uses
are expanding, which results in adverse impacts to our reefs – sedimentation,
eutrophication, and pollution. The effects of overfishing and algae further compound these
adverse impacts. As a result, there is a need to strengthen resource management capacity
to insure the sustainability of Hawaii’s coral reef ecosystems.
The University of Hawaii (UH) established the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative (HCRI)
Research Program in June 1998. Its primary purpose is to support monitoring and research
activities aimed at building capacity to manage Hawaii’s coral reef ecosystems. In
December of 1998, the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) of the Department of Land and
Natural Resources (DLNR) and UH entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to
jointly manage the HCRI Research Program.
To fulfill its mission, the program works with local, state, and federal agencies, as
well as private organizations in order to achieve the following goals:
Assess major threats to coral reef ecosystems and provide information for more effective
management;
Advance understanding of biological and physical processes that affect the health of
coral reefs and build management capability;
Develop database and information systems to store and access data and results;
Conduct public awareness programs on threats to coral reef ecosystems; and
Implement education and training for coral reef scientists and managers.
Funded Projects
In 1998-99, the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative Research Program has supported four
monitoring and research activities, which include the development of a data management
system. In addition, HCRI has initiated a long-range strategic planning project to
consider future management needs.
- Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (CRAMP)
.
The Hawaii Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (CRAMP), led by Dr. Paul
Jokiel of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, is an integrated, statewide,
coral reef research program. Its common database and rapid information
dissemination system provides a means for managers and researchers to detect and
respond appropriately to environmental threats to Hawaii’s reefs. CRAMP is
designed to identify the controlling factors, both natural and anthropogenic,
contributing to the stability, decline, or recovery of Hawaii’s reefs.
Kaneohe Bay Decision Support System.
Led by Dr. Mark Ridgley of the University of Hawaii’s Department of Geography,
this project is investigating one mechanism to unite coral reef scientist’s
research with the decision-making requirements of resource managers. The
application of a "decision support system" methodology illustrates
necessary trade-offs that occur given different future scenarios. This
community-based coral reef management process has resulted in several
recommendations to improve coral reef management in Kaneohe Bay. Key items
include establishment of no anchoring zones, moving commercial activities out of
sensitive coral reef habitats, and shifting snorkeling operations away from sea
turtle foraging grounds.
Fish, Algal, and Coral Ecology Team (FACET).
A shift toward algal dominance typically characterizes degraded or declining
coral reefs. This research project, being led by Dr. Cindy Hunter of the Waikiki
Aquarium, will identify major organisms involved in these shifts and specific
conditions that effect biological processes involved in controlling reef
stability or decline. This experiment provides us with the first description of
fine-scale successional change in algal community development, species
dominance, and diversity on Hawaiian coral reefs. In addition, it seeks to
estimate changes in biomass for major functional components of the
benthos-turfs, fleshy and coralline algae. These results demonstrate how rapidly
algal communities can establish and develop on Hawaiian reefs under elevated
nutrient conditions, particularly in the absence of herbivorous grazers.
Genetic Variation and Status in Hawaiian
Coral Species. The research team,
led by George Roderick of the University of California at Berkley, has been
using coral DNA from their collection, field samples, and material from the
Waikiki Aquarium. The team has developed DNA-based genetic markers for
shallow-water corals using a variety of techniques, including markers based on
nuclear "microsatellites" and mitochondrial DNA. These markers will
be useful for a number of coral researchers world-wide as most of these
markers should work on other species. These markers can be used to address
questions concerning population structure, systematics, and conservation or
management units. In addition, researchers have initiated a genetic repository
of coral specimens and coral DNA that can be used as a baseline for continuing
work on reef degradation as well as restoration.
For 1999-2000,
HCRI Research Program intends to sponsor four projects (the three below, plus a
second year for CRAMP). In addition, HCRI Research Program will be strengthening
the professional training component for DAR staff, broadening its public
outreach and education efforts, and developing a website/e-zine (electronic
magazine) to profile management initiatives, research, and the ecosystem.
.
Ongoing monitoring of 23 sites along the 230 km Kona coastline of the Big Island
of Hawaii have documented significant declines in eight species of reef fish
targeted by the aquarium industry. Under the direction of Dr. Brian Tissot
(Washington State University), surveys will serve as a baseline prior to the
closure of nine marine reserves were aquarium collecting will be prohibited and
will enable managers to evaluate the effectiveness of marine protected areas as
a tool to manage coral reef fisheries.
Support for Maroalgal Ecology and Taxonomic
Assessment for CRAMP Sites. The
role that marine algae play in a coral reef system is often overlooked because
of lack of knowledge that they are the primary producers in the system, and
frequently because there are no competent phycologists who can aid studies or
become important players in solving reefal problems. The coral reef ecosystem in
Hawai’i contains about ten times more algal species than coral species, some
of them regulating space that permits coral recruitment. Drs. Isabella Abbott
and Celia Smith (University of Hawaii) will lead this effort.
Ecological Success of Alien/Invasive Algae
in Hawaii. Results of this study
(to be led by Cindy Hunter of the Waikiki Aquarium) will be used to generate
distribution maps of alien and invasive algal species throughout the state of
Hawaii. This will provide managers with the ability to visualize the extent of
current distributions, to monitor rates of expansion and invasion of new
areas, and to assess the effectiveness of management actions. Sites heavily
impacted by alien/invasive algae, as identified by Hawaii State managers and
this study, will be extensively surveyed and compared to control
(non-impacted) sites in order to determine specifically how these aliens are
affecting native reef ecosystems. This research will provide much needed
information on the distribution, abundance, growth, and reproductive
capabilities of pest algae, as well as the potential for their removal by
natural grazers. This information will allow managers to more precisely
predict the type of habitat that alien and invasive algae are able to invade,
as well as conditions in which they are least successful. This fundamental
research is crucial to enabling management measures for controlling the
populations of alien and invasive algal species and for evaluation of
fisheries management options to insure the health of Hawaii's coral reef
ecosystems.
For more information about the Hawai'i Coral Reef Initiative Research
Program
Contact: DavidsonPlan@hawaii.rr.com
|
