Though coral reefs are in sharp decline across the world, scientists say some reefs can still thrive with plentiful fish stocks, high fish biodiversity, and well-preserved ecosystem functions.
An international team, led by Professor Josh Cinner from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University (Coral CoE at JCU), assessed around 1,800 tropical reefs from 41 countries across the globe.
“Only five percent of the reefs were simultaneously able to meet the combined goals of providing enough fishing stocks, maintaining biodiversity and a working ecosystem,” Prof Cinner said.
“These are like the Hollywood A-listers of coral reefs. They have it all, but they’re also rare and live in exclusive areas—remote locations with little human pressure. Our study shows how to help other coral reefs get on that A-list.”
The research team assessed if no-fishing marine reserves and other fisheries restrictions helped reefs to meet multiple goals. The study found that implementing such local efforts helped, “but only if the management efforts are in the right locations,” Prof Cinner said.
Read more at ARC Centre Of Excellence For Coral Reef Studies
Image: Overfishing has the biggest impact on reef fish communities, while climate change has the greatest impact on corals. Here, a blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) swims in the shallows in the Cocos-Keeling Islands, Indian Ocean. Credit: Tane Sinclair-Taylor.