Human impacts and coral reef conservation

A study evaluates human impacts on coral reefs. Coral reefs are productive ecosystems that provide a range of goods and services to local populations. However, coral reef conditions are declining worldwide, and how human pressures influence the effectiveness of coral reef conservation strategies remains unclear. Joshua Cinner and colleagues used data from nearly 1,800 tropical coral reef sites worldwide to study the influence of human pressures, such as human population size near reef ecosystems and human accessibility to coral reefs, on coral reef conservation. Specifically, the researchers evaluated how fish biomass and the presence of top predators in coral reef ecosystems fluctuated with human pressures. Additionally, the researchers determined the level of management at each reef site, which ranged from sites lacking fishing regulations to high-compliance marine reserves prohibiting fishing. Overall, the researchers found that human pressure diminished the ability of conservation strategies to sustain reef fish biomass and the presence of top predators. However, conservation gains for top predators and fish biomass were highest in areas with low and moderate human pressures, respectively. The findings carry implications for the coral reef conservation worldwide, according to the authors.

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Article #17-08001: "Gravity of human impacts mediates coral reef conservation gains," by Joshua Cinner et al.

MEDIA CONTACT: Joshua Cinner, James Cook University, Townsville, AUSTRALIA; tel: +61747816751; e-mail: Joshua.Cinner@jcu.edu.au