More marine reserves to save coral reefs

A team of UK researchers have called for more marine reserves to save the world’s threatened coral reefs.

According to scientists led by the University of Exeter, marine reserves could also help in the recovery of corals, which are already suffering the effects of climate change and over-fishing.

Marine reserves have already proved to be a successful method of protecting marine life against commercial fishing.

The new research is published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the US National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the research was carried out on The Bahamas' Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. At 442 square km, this is one of the largest and most successful marine reserves in the Caribbean.

Young corals

In the marine reserve, the team found a number of young corals doubled in areas in which native fish, like parrotfish, were protected from being caught.

Young corals are needed to replace older corals that have been killed by storms, disease or other problems.

The young corals were able to survive successfully because prowling seaweeds were controlled by bounties of grazing parrotfish living in the reserve.

Lead researcher Professor Peter Mumby of the University of Exeter said: “This is the first evidence we have that marine reserves benefit coral. Coral reefs are unique ecosystems that have supported thousands of fish and other marine species for millions of years.

“We estimate that humans have already destroyed around 30 per cent of the world's coral reefs and climate change is now causing further damage to coral.

“These findings illustrate the need to maintain high levels of parrotfishes on reefs in order to give corals a fighting chance of recovering. This can either be done using marine reserves or national fisheries legislation that protects parrotfish,” Mumby concluded.

Marine reserves are areas of the sea that are protected against potentially-damaging human activity, like mining and fishing.

Approximately 19 per cent of the world's coral reefs are located within marine reserves.

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