Not-take resiliency

Bleached Acropora (left) and pristine coral reef at the GBR; Images provided by AIMS
4 March 2016

Coral reefs inside of marine reserves that exclude fishing and other extractive activities - so called no-take zones - remain more resilient against man-made and natural disturbances, a study by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) suggests.

The researchers examined 20 years of data from 20 reefs inside no-take zones and 26 reefs that are open to fishing and other extractive activities on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).

They investigated the impact of coral bleaching, coral-eating starfish outbreaks, storms and coral disease on these reefs, and how fast the reefs were able to bounce back after these disturbances.

The research revealed that reef communities in no-take zones were less impacted by disturbance and recovered faster than outside no-take zones.

On average e the magnitude of impacts was 30% lower

For example, the study found that after a crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak it took nearly nine years for the coral community on reefs outside no-take zones to recover, but just over six years inside no-take zones.

The authors speculate as one of the possible reasons for this that reduced abundances of some species outside of no-take zones can result in the loss of important ecological functions.

Published in Ecology Letters, the paper follows an AIMS report that coral bleaching has continued to worsen in the northern GBR after months of El Niño conditions.

Based on the severity of the bleaching reports the GBR Marine Park Authority lifted its bleaching warning from Response Level 1 (mild and widespread) to Response Level 2 (severe and local).

Story based on media release fromthe Australian Institute for Marine Sciences.