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OUR FLORIDA CORAL REEFSJames Byrne April 2014
• Spans over 300 nautical miles from the Dry Tortugas to Stuart.
• The only tropical coral reef system, and one of the greatest natural resources, in Florida and the continental United States.
• Adjacent to one of the most densely populated and urbanized coastal communities in the U.S.
1/3 of Florida’s population (6 billion people)
Coastal population has grown 64% since 1990
30 million visitors/year
Where are Florida’s Coral Reefs?
Florida’s Coral Reefs are home
Benefits
Florida’s Reefs are essential to our way of life.
• Tourism, recreation and fishing are the basis of Florida’s economy and the Floridian lifestyle.
• Reef-related tourism, diving and fishing annually provide:
$6.3 billion in sales and income 71,000 jobs 70% of sales attributed to visitors
• Florida’s reefs provide shelter, food and breeding sites for many recreational and commercial fishery species.
• Reefs generate sand for our beaches and protect our shorelines from tropical storms and erosion.
Florida’s Reefs are threatened.
1957
1980’s
2007
Florida’s Reefs have been damaged.
Photo Series: Phil Dustin
Reefs at Risk Revisited (Burke et al, 2011)
Cumulative Impacts
Cumulative Impacts
Reefs at Risk Revisited (Burke et al, 2011)
State of the Reef System
1950 2000 2100
Re
ef
co
nd
itio
n
2014
2050
Overfishing/LBSP/Climate Change
State of the Reef System
1950 2000 2100
Re
ef
co
nd
itio
n
2014
2050
Overfishing/LBSP/Climate ChangeThreat Abatement Alone
Status Quo
State of the Reef System
1950 2000 2100
Re
ef
co
nd
itio
n
2013
2050
Ecosystem Restoration + Threat Abatement
Threat Abatement Alone
Status Quo
Overfishing/LBSP/Climate Change
Florida Reef Resilience Program (FRRP)
Origin: Discussions between NOAA, GBRMPA, State of Florida, TNC
• Resilience based management concept• Monitoring of entire reef tract• Goals
– Identify reefs that are likely to resist or recover from bleaching– Guide the protection & management of those reef areas
A Public and Private Partnership
Healthy vs. Bleached
Coral Bleaching
Impacts of Coral Bleaching
Bleaching can lead to disease and sometimes death.
Death due to bleaching reduces coral reef biodiversity by decreasing coral species and coral cover.
Declines in coral cover can
cause a decrease in abundance of reef fish and a large decline in the number of reef species.*
* Jones, G. P. et. al. 2004. Coral decline threatens fish biodiversity in marine reserves. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 101: 8251-8253.
Bleaching, disease, and death of inshore patch reefs in the Florida Keys (Marilyn E. Brandt, University of Miami)
• Monitor coral reef health after disturbances
• 2005-12 focused on coral bleaching
• Trained experts survey stony corals on FL reef tract during peak annual temperatures (6-8 weeks)
• Follow-up surveys after moderate/severe bleaching years (e.g. 2005)
• Can be used for other disturbances (e.g. hurricanes, cold water)
Disturbance Response Monitoring (DRM)
• Random sites generated and assigned to teams
• 1 x 10m belt transects (2/site)
• Measure/assess all corals (>=4 cm)
• Species level identification• Degree of bleaching and
presence of disease • Data entered online • Database queried for results
DRM Field Methods
2005–20131758 Surveyed Sites
FRRP Survey Sites
2013 Bleaching Extent By Zone
• 100 surveyed sites• Mild to moderate bleaching (0-50%)• Moderate bleaching occurring in Upper Keys,
Biscayne and Broward sub-regions due to paling.
2005-2010 Data Analysis
Inverse distance weight interpolations of FRRP data
www.frrp.org
FRRP Website
Bleaching Response Plan
Chapter 1: Early Warning System
Chapter 2: Impact Assessment
Chapter 3: Communications
Chapter 4: Management Actions
Enhancing Coastal Protection
Coastalresilience.org
EXAMPLE: REEF WAVE ATTENUATIONWave heights during storm
No live coral on reef Role of Coral
19001900 20002000 21002100 22002200
YearYear
Mitigation: Reduce rate & magnitude of sea temperature change
Mitigation: Reduce rate & magnitude of sea temperature change
Reef conditionReef condition
Increase resilience:• Refugia
• Water quality
• Biodiversity
• Connectivity
Increase resilience:• Refugia
• Water quality
• Biodiversity
• Connectivity
“Resilience threshold”“Resilience threshold”
What we need to do
