Small island developing states are the custodians of much of the world’s oceans.
A Pacific environmentalist says temperature rise could leave equatorial Pacific countries without their main protein source.Taholo Kami is calling for more research into how much temperature change reef fish species can sustain.
Changing geo‐ecological functions of coral reefs in the Anthropocene
The ecology of many coral reefs has changed markedly over recent decades in response to various combinations of local and global stressors. These ecological changes have important implications for the abundance of taxa that regulate the production and erosion of skeletal carbonates, and thus for many of the geo‐ecological functions that coral reefs provide, including reef framework production and sediment generation, the maintenance of reef habitat complexity and reef growth potential.
Coral reef ecosystem services in the Anthropocene
Coral reefs underpin a range of ecosystem goods and services that contribute to the well‐being of millions of people. However, tropical coral reefs in the Anthropocene are likely to be functionally different from reefs in the past. In this perspective piece, we ask, what does the Anthropocene mean for the provision of ecosystem services from coral reefs? This synthesis of the coral reef ecosystem services literature suggests the field is poorly prepared to understand the changing service provision anticipated in the Anthropocene.
The meaning of the term ‘function’ in ecology: A coral reef perspective
The inherent complexity of high‐diversity systems can make them particularly difficult to understand. The relatively recent introduction of functional approaches, which seek to infer ecosystem functioning based on species’ ecological traits, has revolutionized our understanding of these high-diversity systems. Today, the functional structure of an assemblage is widely regarded as a key indicator of the status or resilience of an ecosystem. Indeed, functional evaluations have become a mainstay of monitoring and management approaches.
This is the second webinar in a series of three, following on from Finance Tools for Coral Reef Conservation: An Overview webinar and will be hosted by David Meyers of the Conservation Finance Alliance and Venkat Iyer of the UN Environment.
SPREP would like to call for tenders from qualified and experienced contractors/consultants/scientists to establish coral gardening and restoration activities in Tokelau and Kiribati. Click on the link below for further details.
A partnership between the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the University of Newcastle (UON) Australia, has led to the call for applications from Pacific Islanders for two Higher Degree Research scholarships for Pacific Environmental Protection.
Two expeditions sailed from Pearl Harbor today with a mission focused on ocean conservation.The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration celebrated its 20th anniversary of the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program by studying our coral reefs and the potential dangers they’re facing.
A new study found that bleached reefs had fewer predators such as snappers and groupers and more plant-eating fish such as parrotfish and rabbitfish. Click on the link below to read the full article.