Priorities and strategies for addressing natural and anthropogenic threats to coral reefs in Pacific Island Nations

Marine habitats and resources have been assumed to be almost unlimited, and that if one habitat became degraded or a particular fisheries resource depleted, there always would be another to replace it. The importance of coral reef ecosystems, in particular, may be seen in their numerous ecological, aesthetic, economic and cultural functions. Pacific islanders recognize that healthy reefs are essential for creation, support, protection and repair of their islands, and serve as a living pantry for the subsistence harvest and consumption of many reef organisms. The ability of coral reef ecosystems to exist in balanced harmony with other naturally occurring competing/limiting physico-chemical and biological agents has been severely challenged in the last several decades by the dramatically increased negative and synergistic impacts from poorly managed anthropogenic activities. In addressing these threats, a paradigm shift may be occurring in the evolution of the role of scientists in society from simply observers of the natural world with tenuous linkages to resource managers and the public, to partners in modern societyʹs quest for answers to pressing questions related to sustainable use and conservation of coral reef resources. Management principles are beginning to include human motivation and responses as part of coral ecosystems being studied and managed. Managers of coral reef resources face the challenge of balancing conservation and development objectives in the context of the inherent uncertainty of natural systems and the political and social pressures of human systems. Working together, scientists, managers and policymakers can develop priorities and strategies for societal and economic decisions that are strongly coupled with an increasingly comprehensive understanding of the environment. This in turn will lead to both socio-economic health and coral ecosystem health. Employing this new paradigm for interactions between scientists, managers and policymakers, participants of the Pacific Regional ICRI Symposium in Noumea, New Caledonia developed three principal sets of recommendations for addressing natural and anthropogenic threats to coral reefs in Pacific Island Nations: (1) develop and implement a new overarching Participatory Island Ecosystem Management System (PIEMS) for each of the Pacific Island Nations; (2) improve existing, as well as design and implement new, capacity-building programs; and (3) improve scientific understanding of coral reef ecosystems with effective translation and transfer of information. Details for each set of recommendations are provided in this paper.