Does use of tropical beaches by tourists and island residents result in damage to fringing coral reefs? A case study in Moorea French Polynesia

Juhasz, Allison; Ho, Ellen; Bender, Érika Saltiva Cruz; Fong, Peggy

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.08.011

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…For instance, anchoring has been shown to impact the composition and cover of marine biotic habitats (Walker et al, 1989;Glynn, 1994;Backhurst and Cole, 2000;Milazzo et al, 2002;Milazzo et al, 2004;Saphier and Hoffman, 2005;Davenport and Davenport, 2006;Lloret et al, 2008;Maynard et al, 2010). Trampling by recreational users in very shallow water (Leujak and Ormond, 2008) has similar impacts on habitats (Kay and Liddle, 1989;Neil, 1990;Rodgers and Cox, 2003;Juhasz et al, 2010) and on macro-invertebrates (Brown and Taylor, 1999;Casu et al, 2006). Boat traffic emerges as a source of disturbance for fish (Codarin et al, 2009;Slabbekoorn et al, 2010;Whitfield and Becker, 2014) and mammals (Bejder et al, 2006;Hodgson and Marsh, 2007;Rako et al, 2013;Merchant et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decadal increase in the number of recreational users is concentrated in no-take marine reserves

Gonson

Pelletier

Gamp

et al. 2016

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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In coastal areas, demographic increase is likely to result in greater numbers of recreational users, with potential consequences on marine biodiversity. These effects may also occur within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which are popular with recreational users. Our analysis builds on data collected over a ten-year period during three year-round surveys to appraise changes in recreational boating activities in coral ecosystems. Results show that the number of boaters has greatly increased, particularly so within MPAs during weekends and the warm season, when peaks in boat numbers have become more frequent. We also observed that the number of anchored boats has increased over the period. These changes may be resulting in biophysical impacts that could be detrimental to conservation objectives in MPAs. This steady increase over time may cause changes in the spatial and temporal distribution of users and in their practices, thus highlighting the importance of monitoring recreational activities.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decadal increase in the number of recreational users is concentrated in no-take marine reserves

Gonson

Pelletier

Gamp

et al. 2016

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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“…The beautiful coral rings and variety of habitats has made these islands ideal settings for coral health and reef management studies. While the coral community structure has been extensively studied [ 1 – 4 ], the foraminifera have received localized attention and are limited to case studies of specific environments [ 5 – 9 ] yet they are important members of tropical biotas, as monitoring aids for ecologic change, including global warming [ 10 ], and in understanding the history and development of islands. Foraminifera are prominent producers of calcium carbonate and contribute significantly to the calcium carbonate budget of coral reefs [ 11 , 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Patterns in the Distribution, Diversity and Abundance of Benthic Foraminifera around Moorea (Society Archipelago, French Polynesia)

2015

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Coral reefs are now subject to global threats and influences from numerous anthropogenic sources. Foraminifera, a group of unicellular shelled organisms, are excellent indicators of water quality and reef health. Thus we studied a set of samples taken in 1992 to provide a foraminiferal baseline for future studies of environmental change. Our study provides the first island-wide analysis of shallow benthic foraminifera from around Moorea (Society Archipelago). We analyzed the composition, species richness, patterns of distribution and abundance of unstained foraminiferal assemblages from bays, fringing reefs, nearshore and back- and fore-reef environments. A total of 380 taxa of foraminifera were recorded, a number that almost doubles previous species counts. Spatial patterns of foraminiferal assemblages are characterized by numerical abundances of individual taxa, cluster groups and gradients of species richness, as documented by cluster, Fisher α, ternary plot and Principal Component Analyses (PCA). The inner bay inlets are dominated by stress-tolerant, mostly thin-shelled taxa of Bolivina, Bolivinella, Nonionoides, Elongobula, and Ammonia preferring low-oxygen and/or nutrient-rich habitats influenced by coastal factors such as fresh-water runoff and overhanging mangroves. The larger symbiont-bearing foraminifera (Borelis, Amphistegina, Heterostegina, Peneroplis) generally live in the oligotrophic, well-lit back- and fore-reef environments. Amphisteginids and peneroplids were among the few taxa found in the bay environments, probably due to their preferences for phytal substrates and tolerance to moderate levels of eutrophication. The fringing reef environments along the outer bay are characterized by Borelis schlumbergeri, Heterostegina depressa, Textularia spp. and various miliolids which represent a hotspot of diversity within the complex reef-lagoon system of Moorea. The high foraminiferal Fisher α and species richness diversity in outer bay fringing reefs is consistent with the disturbance-mosaic (microhabitat heterogeneity) hypothesis.Calculations of the FORAM Index (FI), a single metric index to assess reef vitality, indicate that all fore- and most back-reef environments support active carbonate accretion and provide habitat suitability for carbonate producers dependent on algal symbiosis. Lowest suitability values were recorded within the innermost bays, an area where natural and increasing anthropogenic influences continue to impact the reefs. The presence of habitat specific assemblages and numerical abundance values of individual taxa show that benthic foraminifera are excellent recorders of environmental perturbations and good indicators useful in modern and ancient ecological and environmental studies.

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“…Studies investigating snorkeler's contact rates with the coral reef substratum are scarce in the literature; most studies instead focus on the overall impact of snorkelling. High-use reef sites experience more damage than low-use sites [19][20][21] showing that Koh Sak is no different to other reef sites around the world [12]. Contact rates in this study are lower than rates measured for snorkelers in Puerto Rico [22]; in that study, snorkelers contacted the reef at a rate of 0.26 min -1 but 39 % of contacts were made by snorkelers wearing fins suggesting that it was accidental contact.…”

mentioning

confidence: 51%

Investigating Reef Contact Rates of Snorkel Visitors at Koh Sak, Pattaya on Guided and Non-guided Coral Reef Tours

Phillips

2018

App. Envi. Res.

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Recreational snorkelling is a popular activity at Koh Sak, Pattaya Bay and although most snorkel visitors to the island arrive by speedboat on guided tours, many visitors arrive on tours that do not provide a guide. Because there is widespread agreement that reef-based tourism negatively impacts coral reefs it is important to understand the potential role guides play in reducing visitor impacts. In this study 421 snorkelers (35 % of whom came on non-guided tours) were observed on the reef for a period of 10 minutes. The following information was recorded so that a per person reef-contact rate could be calculated: the snorkelers’ distance from their guide (if they had one), the number of people in their snorkelling group, and the number of contacts with the reef. There was no difference in contact rate between males (0.09 contacts min-1) andfemales (0.11 contacts min-1) nor was there any difference based on the group size (2-7 people). However, contact rates for snorkelers on tours with no guide (0.09 contacts min-1) and snorkelers far from their guide (0.08 contacts min-1) were significantly lower than visitors who snorkelled near their guide (0.18 contacts min-1; p < 0.001). The contact rate of guides (0.36 contacts min-1) was significantly greater than the snorkelers they were looking after (0.17 contacts min-1) in part due to the lack of knowledge and experience of snorkelers and guides alike. To reduce negative impacts to the coral reefs of Koh Sak guides need to change their destructive behaviour and improve their knowledge of reef biology and ecology.

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Does use of tropical beaches by tourists and island residents result in damage to fringing coral reefs? A case study in Moorea French Polynesia

Cited by 20 publications

References 36 publications

Decadal increase in the number of recreational users is concentrated in no-take marine reserves

Decadal increase in the number of recreational users is concentrated in no-take marine reserves

Spatial Patterns in the Distribution, Diversity and Abundance of Benthic Foraminifera around Moorea (Society Archipelago, French Polynesia)

Investigating Reef Contact Rates of Snorkel Visitors at Koh Sak, Pattaya on Guided and Non-guided Coral Reef Tours

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