Terry Fuller
Posts: 2432
Joined: 5 June 2003
From: Hamersley, Western Australia
Status: offline
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The full page advertisement by the Gov't in West Australian 10 Dec. at a cost to taxpayers of $11,000 says:-
"A global study, The Status of Coral Reefs in the World 2004, launched in Washington DC last Monday, paints a dire picture of the world's coral reefs, warning that half are under threat of collapse. However, it finds that Australia's coral reefs will be in good shape for the next decade as long as we continue to strengthen our management plans. That's why the WA Government is extending the Ningaloo Marine Park and increasing sanctuary zones to 34 per cent. It's a move backed by coral reef experts who see it as helping to maintain a healthy reef. The Government is committed to protecting the reef, protecting tourism and fishing for the future. Remember, from March 1, 2005, recreational fishing is still allowed in two thirds of the Ningaloo Marine Park, and along 70% of its shoreline."
Look at "it finds ... as long as we continue to strengthen our management plans" which implies the Status of Coral Reefs report says that some management plans for Ningaloo NEED to be strengthened.
The report does NOT find or identify any plans which it says are ACTUALLY NEEDED or it even RECOMMENDED at Ningaloo.
And even in general, non location specific Australia wide terms, what management plans does the report say need to be strengthened? Judge for yourself.... See if you can find them. See also post 82 above for assessment of the threats at Ningaloo. http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/coral-bleaching/scr2004/
Page 306 of the report:- (Abstract)
"In 2004: Raised sea surface temperatures due to global warming, and a predicted increase in the frequency and intensity of coral bleaching, and cyclones have emerged as major threats to coral reefs in the region. Australian coral reefs, however, remain in a relatively good state despite episodes of degradation. Management is seen as effective."
"Predictions for 2014: Efforts to strengthen the protection of reefs and reduce human impacts through MPAs, improved fisheries management and holistic catchment management are expected to continue. Provided these programs are adequately supported by education, research, monitoring, legislation and enforcement, the prognosis is good for reefs of Australia and PNG. Nevertheless there is strong potential for major damage from global climate change, which could cause fundamental shifts in coral communities away from dominance by hard corals. This is particularly true for many reefs in Australian waters that have been disturbed in the last decade, and are in the early stages of recovery."
Page 324 of the report, (the details) Included some Papua New Guinea comments - deleted and shown as .....
In 2004: Vigilance has become a key issue, as new and emerging threats to the long-term health of coral reefs in the region became apparent. In some areas, a combination of pressures has resulted in massive declines in coral cover on many reefs, including some in Australia. Raised sea surface temperatures from global warming resulted in increases in the frequency of coral bleaching, with mass bleaching events on the GBR and other reefs of Australia in 1998 and 2002. Bleaching emerged as the number one threat to coral reefs in the region. The bleaching coincided with a new outbreak of Crown of Thorns Starfish on the GBR, with accelerated coral loss. Impacts of cyclones were a factor on many reefs recently in Australia, and the threat of increases in coral diseases was recognised; disease was a relatively minor issue in 1994. Management of reefs is focused on the direct threats of water quality and over-exploitation, and the indirect global threats highlighted in Chapter 1. Nevertheless, Australian coral reefs are generally in a relatively good state, although some reefs, especially those close to land are degraded. Monitoring data is now available to inform managers that the reefs have strong recovery potential, provided there is enough time between disturbance events. The key issue remains the intensity and frequency of the disturbance events. Management authorities are implementing stronger zoning plans for many reefs in the Australian region to strengthen reef protection.
Predictions for 2014: The prognosis for the reefs of Australia .. over the next decade is good. This is provided that the strengthening of management plans continues and there is ongoing support for monitoring programs to judge the performance of these plans. .... There is a clear understanding by governments and stakeholders throughout the region of the value of conserving coral reef resources. This is stronger in Australia than PNG, but is developing there. This is reflected in continued efforts to conserve reefs and protect them from extractive industries and other human pressures in a bid to enhance their resilience. There is also clear recognition that direct human pressures are probably the major cause of damage to the environment that can be managed. Such human pressures can rapidly degrade or destroy the coral reefs, often through ignorance. The current strategy for Australian reefs is to minimise direct human threats of poor catchment management delivering poor water quality and over-exploitation of fisheries resources and associated fishing damage to the reefs, so that natural reef resilience is enhanced to cope with the pressures from global climate change and plagues of predators. It is predicted that reefs will recover from periodic stresses, provided that chronic disturbances are reduced. Monitoring is an essential component of an early detection system to enable managers to adjust acceptable use levels. Effective monitoring and management is in place in Australia .... Thus the outlook for Australian reefs is good....
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However there is one major caveat. The threat of warming seas from global climate change is the major threat facing coral reefs. There is considerable current research in Australia on the threats posed by global climate change, and more needs to be done to determine whether corals will adapt to new temperature regimes. In the worst-case scenario, it is conceivable that some coral reefs will suffer major reversals over next decade, which will be exacerbated as many of these reefs are currently recovering from previous disturbances.
RECOMMENDATIONS The future for the reefs of Australia .. remains relatively bright. Except for the unknown extent of the effects of global climate change, the essential conservation values of these reefs may be reasonably expected to persist. This depends on successful mitigation of the effects of terrestrial runoff and reduction in fishing pressure (particularly on parts of the GBR). Already steps are being taken to address these issues and enhance the ability of reefs to withstand the threat of climate change.
Australia
Most Australian reefs are well protected against most anthropogenic pressures, both by law and by capacity to enforce those regulations. This situation needs to be maintained.
The development of networks of highly protected areas that preserve biodiversity will increase the resilience of reefs to cope with increasing pressures from factors such as climate change.
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There are growing numbers of reefs under management plans, thus the implementation and maintenance of effective monitoring is essential to assess the effectiveness of these plans in an environment of changing human pressures and climate change.
The long-term effects of chronic pollution from river runoff and coastal activities are difficult to detect. However, it is clear that declining water quality constitutes a major threat to the GBR and the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan has been developed to address this issue. This needs to continue and be strengthened.
Chronic fishing pressures, both commercial and recreational, have the potential to alter the fish populations on coral reefs by selectively targeting key predator species, such as groupers and snappers. Such changes may have follow-on ecological impacts, and conflict with the values placed on such fishes by international tourists. Management attention is required to ensure the sustainability of Australia’s coral reef fisheries resources, and balance their use by different stakeholders.
The GBR is relatively well studied. The major pressures identified are fishing (trawling and line fishing), climate change and declining water quality, due to the development of agriculture in the catchments of rivers that flow into GBR waters. The major research programs investigating these impacts and coordinated by the Cooperative Research Centre for the GBR require ongoing sustainable funding as political and societal environments change. There are strong links between research and management that need to be maintained and included in future management plans.
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Apart from entirely natural things or human influences which it says (elswhere see post #82) don't exist at Ningaloo, the report talks about the potential impact of over fishing, and no one will argue that any potential overfishing must be managed.
But even the Environment Minister has admitted that Marine Parks and Sanctuary Zones are not the right tools for managing fisheries and fish catches. The Minister for Fisheries has stated in Parliament that "he is unaware of any research suggesting that recreational fishing is affecting biodiversity within the Park", and Dept of Fisheries Director of Research has warned that closed areas may backfire.
So at the very most, the report's recommendations could be seen as recommending a close watch on, research on, review of, and if needed, strengthening of FISHERIES MANAGEMENT. Yep, we agree, bring it on, and get the research data to show what the REAL situation is.
And if that means the rules, bag limits, etc for Ningaloo need to change (tighter, what other changes would you expect?) that means recreational anglers will have been hit with a double whammy double dipping.
Locked out by Marine parks no take zones which concentrate the fishing effort into smaller areas, and then tighter fisheries management to manage the catch so that the smaller areas left don't get overfished.
Who could possibly call that fair or scientific?
Anyway..... Manage fisheries by Fisheries Management, not by closing areas. Recreational anglers aren't opposed to Marine Parks, but... etc, etc
TerryF
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There'll be more.....
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