The future of resilience-based management in coral reef ecosystems

Elizabeth Mcleod; Kenneth R N Anthony; Peter J Mumby; Jeffrey Maynard; Roger Beeden; Nicholas A J Graham; Scott F Heron; Ove Hoegh-Guldberg; Stacy Jupiter; Petra MacGowan; Sangeeta Mangubhai; Nadine Marshall; Paul A Marshall; Tim R McClanahan; Karen Mcleod; Magnus Nyström; David Obura; Britt Parker; Hugh P Possingham; Rodney V Salm; Jerker Tamelander

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.034

The future of resilience-based management in coral reef ecosystems

J Environ Manage. 2019 Mar 1:233:291-301. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.034. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

Authors

Elizabeth Mcleod¹, Kenneth R N Anthony², Peter J Mumby³, Jeffrey Maynard⁴, Roger Beeden⁵, Nicholas A J Graham⁶, Scott F Heron⁷, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg⁸, Stacy Jupiter⁹, Petra MacGowan¹⁰, Sangeeta Mangubhai¹¹, Nadine Marshall¹², Paul A Marshall¹³, Tim R McClanahan¹⁴, Karen Mcleod¹⁵, Magnus Nyström¹⁶, David Obura¹⁷, Britt Parker¹⁸, Hugh P Possingham¹⁹, Rodney V Salm¹⁰, Jerker Tamelander²⁰

Affiliations

¹ The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, 22203, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville, Qld, 4810, Australia; Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld, 4072, Australia.
³ Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld, 4072, Australia.
⁴ SymbioSeas and the Marine Applied Research Center, Wilmington, NC, 28411, United States.
⁵ Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Qld, 4810, Australia.
⁶ Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK.
⁷ NOAA Coral Reef Watch, NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research, College Park, MD, 20740, USA; ReefSense, Townsville, Qld 4814, Australia; Marine Geophysical Laboratory, Physics Department, College of Science, Technology and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, 4811, Australia.
⁸ Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Qld, Australia.
⁹ Wildlife Conservation Society, Melanesia Program, Suva, Fiji.
¹⁰ The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, 22203, USA.
¹¹ Wildlife Conservation Society, Fiji Country Program, Suva, Fiji.
¹² CSIRO Land and Water and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Q4811, Australia.
¹³ Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld, 4072, Australia; Reef Ecologic, North Ward, Townsville, Qld, 4810, Australia.
¹⁴ Marine Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA.
¹⁵ COMPASS, Oregon State University, Department of Zoology, Corvallis, OR, USA.
¹⁶ Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE, 10691, Sweden.
¹⁷ CORDIO East Africa, Mombasa, Kenya; Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Qld, Australia.
¹⁸ NOAA NIDIS/Cooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
¹⁹ The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, 22203, USA; The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia.
²⁰ United Nations Environment Programme, Bangkok, 10200, Thailand.

PMID: 30583103
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.034

Abstract

Resilience underpins the sustainability of both ecological and social systems. Extensive loss of reef corals following recent mass bleaching events have challenged the notion that support of system resilience is a viable reef management strategy. While resilience-based management (RBM) cannot prevent the damaging effects of major disturbances, such as mass bleaching events, it can support natural processes that promote resistance and recovery. Here, we review the potential of RBM to help sustain coral reefs in the 21st century. We explore the scope for supporting resilience through existing management approaches and emerging technologies and discuss their opportunities and limitations in a changing climate. We argue that for RBM to be effective in a changing world, reef management strategies need to involve both existing and new interventions that together reduce stress, support the fitness of populations and species, and help people and economies to adapt to a highly altered ecosystem.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Anthozoa*
Climate
Coral Reefs*
Ecosystem