Community-based monitoring detects catastrophic earthquake and tsunami impacts on seagrass beds in the Solomon Islands

A Seagrass Mapping Toolbox for South Pacific Environments

“…Citizen science initiatives transcend questions of finances or technical skills. In the case of developing community-led monitoring initiatives, we advocate in situ techniques in the first instance irrespective of funding, because successful programmes are already in place in the region that demonstrate the benefits to be achieved both scientifically and societally, and the data they generate can feed directly into local traditional management, which is important for South Pacific cultures (e.g., Solomon Islands [61], Vanuatu [43], Torres Strait, Australia [62]). RPA also lend themselves well to community monitoring, though the equipment needs more upkeep and the initial training is more involved.…”

Seagrasses and seagrass habitats in Pacific small island developing states: Potential loss of benefits via human disturbance and climate change

“…Although some major seagrass loss in PSIDS can be attributed to natural disasters (e.g. Moseby et al, 2020) the overall immediate threat (disturbances) to seagrass habitat in the Pacific Islands follows global trends, and are anthropogenic (Brodie and N'Yeurt, 2018). With seagrass habitat loss or change usually correlated to light reduction, eutrophication, sediment increase or direct physical disturbance (Unsworth et al, 2015).…”

“…In Vanuatu, seagrasses have been shown to be in better condition in locations away from urban centres i.e., areas with lower nutrient waste and with lower coastal development (CMEP, 2019, Lincoln et al this special volume). Similarly logging is a major threat to seagrass in the Solomon Islands (McKenzie et al, 2006) and the impacts of logging on coastal and freshwater fisheries and food security on the island of Malaita in the Solomon Islands (Minter et al, 2018) where more than 50% of the Solomon Island seagrass is found (Moseby et al, 2020), clearly demonstrates the serious impacts of land degradation on coastal ecosystems and the imperative need for planning and catchment management as well as research data collection. There is a well-recognised need for integrated management of coastal ecosystems including management of hydrologic flows, land use planning and nutrient management while simultaneously managing whole ecosystem assemblages (Guannel et al, 2016;Macreadie et al, 2017;Mcleod et al, 2019;Mangubhai et al, 2019).…”

“…Seagrass monitoring and conservation of coastal seagrass areas in PSIDS are included in several relatively small but significant near-shore community-based projects. For example the Tetepare Descendant Association (TDA), in the western Province of the Solomon Islands has conducted seagrass monitoring for over 10 years at 33 sites and woman in the community participate in data collection (Moseby et al, 2020). Similarly, the Läje Rotuma Initiative (LRI) have monitored changes in Rotuma's Maka Bay seagrass habitat for over 10 years (Fiu, pers.com) and community networks such as the Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA) network provide opportunities for local seagrass mapping.…”

“…Globally, marine seagrasses are in decline primarily as a result of anthropogenic impacts, including climate change and further losses are anticipated (Waycott et al, 2009;Grech et al, 2012;Short et al, 2016). In the Indo-Pacific many seagrass habitats are considered to be relatively healthy (Moseby et al, 2020) but potentially threatened by increasing human-related pressures on coastal ecosystems via land-based threats and climate change (Brodie and N'Yeurt, 2018), with Pacific Island seagrasses following the Western Pacific trend documented by Short et al (2014). Increasing populations and urbanization may threaten PSIDS seagrass survival in rapidly expanding densely-populated urban areas where subsistence fishing may be vital for low-income households (Brodie et al, 2020).…”