What the Scientists say about Marine National Parks

Moreton Bay Marine Park Zoning Plan Review - Scientific Guiding Principles
Recommended by the Expert Advisory Panel

University of Queensland, Ecology Centre Director, Professor Hugh Possingham - 2006

“Only 0.5 per cent of the Bay was fully protected”, UQ ecology centre director Hugh Possingham said.

“No-fishing zones in Moreton Bay need to be expanded 20 times just to meet the lowest international standards for protecting marine areas”

Source - Article in The Courier Mail - 26 August (2006)

James Cook University Ecologist, Professor Gary Russ – 2006

James Cook University ecologist Gary Russ said

“0.5 per cent was inadequate [level of no-take protection for Moreton Bay - ed], and lessons could be drawn from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, where 33.4 per cent was set aside for total protection”.

"We could learn lessons from our own state. At least (the GBR 'green' zones) give us a guideline on what can be achieved in Moreton Bay," Professor Russ said. "These won't be fish in a glass cage. Some will move out of the protected areas”.

“The area set aside for no-fishing zones in Moreton Bay is totally inadequate and merely a token gesture, ecologists claim”

Source - Article in The Courier Mail 2 September 2006


University of Queensland, Suzanne Pillans (PhD paper), Richard Pillans, Ron Johnstone and Hugh Possingham - 2005

Research undertaken at two of the fully protected ‘green zones’ in Moreton Bay shows that green zones in Moreton Bay:

• Increase the size and abundance of fished species
• Enhance production of offspring
• Provide refuge for vulnerable species.

Source - Pillans S, Pillans RD, Johnstone RW, Kraft PG, Haywood MDE, Possingham HP (2005) Effects of marine reserve protection on the mud crab (Scylla serrata) in a sex-biased fishery in subtropical Australia, Marine Ecology Progress Series, Col, 293: 201-213
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Australian Institute for Marine Science (AIMS) - 2006

Less than 2 years ago, 33.4% of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was fully protected in “green zones”.

“The Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) recently announced that in less than 2 years after the rezoning of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, some fish species are already 60% more abundant in the fully protected ‘green zones’ than in fished areas. The fully protected green zones are clearly working on the Great Barrier Reef and can also offer Moreton Bay great benefits to its marine life and its productivity.”

Source - AIMS Media Release – 18 August 2006


Townsville Declaration, International Symposium on Coral Reef Biodiversity - 2002

“As insurance for sustainability, 30-50% of reefs should be set aside as no-take (no-fishing) zones, for long-term protection, not just of fish, but of entire reef ecosystems.”

Source - International Forum on Threats to Coral Reefs Centre for Coral Reef Biodiversity, Townsville October 14-19, 2002.


United Nations Development Program, Worlds Parks Congress Declaration - 2003

The World Parks Congress 2003 (WPC) recommended a global target of establishing national networks of marine ‘no-take areas’ (i.e. Marine National Parks) which encompass 20-30% of each marine habitat type by the year 2012.

Source – http://www.iucn.org/themes/wcpa/wpc2003/english/about/intro.htm


Scientific Steering Committee - Great Barrier Reef Representative Areas Program - 2003

In the GBR Representative Area Program, the Scientific Steering Committee set 20% as a minimum required habitat target for Marine National Parks and 50% for all high priority dugong habitats.


Over 100 of Australia’s Leading Marine Scientists Back Proposals For Marine National Parks - 2001

Speaking on behalf of the signatories, the Victorian President of Austraian Marine Science Association (AMSA), Associate Professor John Sherwood said,

“The overwhelming consensus of the marine science community is that fully protected marine national parks work. They will conserve marine life for future generations to enjoy. Marine national parks protect marine ecosystems, benefit exploited populations of marine life, improve scientific understanding of the marine environment, and increase opportunities for research, education and tourism. They are a vital addition to fisheries management and other conservation efforts that we employ in the sea.”

CONSENSUS DECLARATION ON CORAL REEF FUTURES

Over 50 scientists of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies today (22 Oct 2007) declared the following statements unanimously:

• We call on all societies and governments to immediately and substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Without targeted reductions, the ongoing damage to coral reefs from global warming will soon be irreversible.
• Ocean acidification due to increased atmospheric CO2 is accelerating, and will detrimentally effect the growth and skeletal strength of calcifying species, such as corals. Reducing CO2 emissions is the only way to prevent further damage to coral reefs. Loss of coral also impacts on many other species and reduces reef fisheries.
• Coral reefs are economically, socially and culturally important, and therefore need to be sustained. For example, the Great Barrier Reef contributes $6.9 billion annually to the Australian economy - $6 billion from the tourism industry, $544 million from recreational activity and $251 million from commercial fishing. This economic activity generates more than 65 000 jobs.
• Climate change, overfishing and pollution continue to cause massive and accelerating declines in abundance of coral reef species and global changes in reef ecosystems. Even remote and well-managed reefs are under threat from climate change.
• Coral bleaching has greatly increased in frequency and magnitude over the past 30 years due to global warming. For coral reefs, climate change is not some potential future threat – it has already caused enormous damage that will increase in coming years. Bleaching due to climate change has already caused widespread damage to the Great Barrier Reef in 1998 and 2002.
• The world has a narrow window of opportunity to save coral reefs from the destruction of extreme climate change. Substantial global reductions of greenhouse gasses must be initiated immediately, not in 10, 20 or 50 years.
• No-fishing reserves (green zones) are an important management tool for preserving targeted stocks of coral reefs, and the ecological functions they provide. To be effective, 25-35% of marine habitats should be no-take (no fishing) for long-term protection. In Australia, many coral reefs have yet to achieve this level of protection (especially in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, south-east Queensland, and the Coral Sea).
• Coral reef megafauna (e.g. dugongs, turtles and sharks) continue to decline rapidly, and are ecologically extinct on most of the world’s reefs. In Australia, current management practices are failing to maintain populations of megafauna, which are already severely depleted. Commercial harvesting and marketing of these species should be banned to allow the recovery of depleted stocks.
• Local action can help to re-build the resilience of reefs, and promote their recovery. It is critically important to prevent the replacement of corals by algal blooms, by reducing runoff from land and by protecting stocks of herbivorous fishes. However, reefs cannot be “climate-proofed” except via reduced emissions of greenhouse gasses.

Key Contacts :
Professor David Bellwood (Fish Ecologist), James Cook University, AUSTRALIA. Ph: +61 (0) 7 4781 4447. Email: David.Bellwood@jcu.edu.au
A/Professor Sean R. Connolly (Ecological Modeller & Marine Ecologist), James Cook University, AUSTRALIA. Ph: +61 (0) 7 4781 4242. Email: sean.connolly@jcu.edu.au
Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg (Coral Physiologist/Ecologist), University of Queensland, AUSTRALIA. Ph: +61 (0)7 4978 1399, +61 (0) 7 3365 1156. Email: oveh@uq.edu.au
Prof Terry Hughes (Coral Ecologist), James Cook University, AUSTRALIA. Ph: +61 (0) 7 4781 4000. Email: terry.hughes@jcu.edu.au
Dr Morgan Pratchett, (Fish biologist) CoECRS & JCU, 07 4781 5747 mob 0410471801 Email: Morgan.Pratchett@jcu.edu.au
Dr John Pandolfi (Coral Reef Paleontologist), University of Queensland. Ph: +61 (0)7 3365 3050 mob 0400 982 301. Email: j.pandolfi@uq.edu.au

American Association of Advanced Science (ASSS) Declaration – 2001

Analyses of the best available evidence leads us to conclude that:

• Reserves conserve both fisheries and biodiversity.
• To meet goals for fisheries and biodiversity conservation, reserves must encompass the diversity of marine habitats.
• Reserves are the best way to protect resident species and provide heritage protection to important habitats.
• Reserves must be established and operated in the context of other management tools.
• Reserves need a dedicated program to monitor and evaluate their impacts both within and outside their boundaries.
• Reserves provide a critical benchmark for the evaluation of threats to ocean communities.
• Networks of reserves will be necessary for long-term fishery and conservation benefits.
• Existing scientific information justifies the immediate application of fully protected marine reserves as a central management tool.”
• This Scientific Consensus Statement is signed by 161 leading marine scientists and experts on marine reserves. Signatories all hold Ph.D. degrees and are employed by academic institutions.

Source - http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/