Ecosystem service values of sediment generation and entrapment by marginal coral reefs at Sodwana Bay, South Africa

Branch

African Journal of Marine Science

et al. 2021

Research on the socio-economic aspects of marine protected areas (MPAs) in South Africa is reviewed to guide evaluation and integration. After a brief international review, we used declaration notices and management plans to determine the extent to which social and economic objectives have been included in the purpose statements of MPAs. We then reviewed the current state of knowledge about the social and economic effects of South African MPAs. While many MPAs have purposes and objectives that include some social and economic objectives, these are limited in scope. Most of the MPAs that were declared before 2019 did not include objectives directly related to people or their needs. Social or economic research has been undertaken in fewer than half of the 23 coastal MPAs. Literature is largely limited to: (i) studies on negative impacts of MPAs on adjacent rural communities; (ii) selected aspects of tourism; and (iii) various aspects related to resource use. A wide range of other tangible and intangible effects, including those experienced by a broader set of stakeholders and over differing scales of time and space, have seldom been addressed. A case study on the Tsitsikamma MPA exemplifies challenges associated with understanding the full scope of social and economic aspects of MPAs. We conclude with recommendations to address the challenges of building a better understanding of the social and economic effects of MPAs, ensuring that these are addressed in establishing or revising objectives for each MPA, and assessing the extent to which the objectives meet both human and environmental needs.

Section: Positive Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social and economic effects of marine protected areas in South Africa, with recommendations for future assessments

Branch

African Journal of Marine Science

et al. 2021

“…Benthic habitat mapping is recognised as a need to be expanded upon in South Africa 41 , because the continental shelf bathymetry has been previously recognised to be poorly resolved 40 . One of the benthic habitats recognised globally for the multitude of coastal goods and services it offers is reefs 46 (i.e. outcropping rock on the seabed), which form the primary focus presented in the case study here.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The value of multibeam bathymetry in marine spatial planning in South Africa: A review

Wanda,

Wiles,

Cawthra

et al. 2023

S. Afr. J. Sci.

Given a growing global population and shift to embrace the blue economy, a need for marine spatial planning (MSP) has emerged in South Africa to sustainably resolve the rising conflicts over the use of marine and seabed resources and services. A well-developed marine spatial plan yields numerous ecological, social and economic benefits. These are achieved through mediating between spatially conflicting economic drivers’ interests (e.g. commercial fishing, tourism, mining), preventing their activities from compromising thresholds of an environment’s sustainability. Within the MSP framework, high-resolution geospatial datasets are required to document and describe the seabed in the highest possible detail. At any scale, integrated analysis of seabed geomorphology and habitats is anticipated to greatly improve the understanding of ecosystem functioning from a multidisciplinary perspective, whilst improving MSP procedures and management of marine space. South Africa is the first of few African countries to have an approved and implemented MSP framework, but is still somewhat behind globally in implementing large-scale regional hydroacoustic surveys to cover the country’s vast offshore territory. The deficiency of hydroacoustic surveys is perhaps due to a relative lack of funds and poor communication about the value of multibeam echo-sounder (MBES) derived data, whilst marine geoscience remains a scarce skill in the country. This review paper presents a geological perspective of MSP and explores (1) the value that seabed mapping offers MSP specifically and (2) the need to increase seabed mapping with MBES, using a recently initiated project from the South African east coast as a case study.

Coral carbonate production across depth: homogenisation after bleaching?

Sannassy Pilly,

Roche,

Lange

et al. 2024

Coral Reefs

Recurrent climate-driven warming events, which can induce severe coral bleaching and mortality on tropical reefs, are predicted to cause homogenisation of coral communities and loss of ecosystem functions in shallow reef systems (< 30 m). However, data documenting the variation in coral carbonate production across depth are limited. Here we explore differences in coral cover, community composition, coral colony size structure and carbonate production rates between two depths (10 m and 17.5 m) across four atolls in the remote Chagos Archipelago. We show higher coral carbonate production rates at 10 m (4.82 ± 0.27 G, where G = kg CaCO3 m−2 yr−1) compared to sites at 17.5 m (3.1 ± 0.18 G). The main carbonate producers at 10 m consisted of fast-growing branching and tabular corals (mainly Acroporids) and massive corals (mainly Porites), with high abundances of medium- and large-sized colonies. In contrast, coral carbonate production at 17.5 m was driven by slow-growing encrusting and foliose morphotypes and small colony sizes. Utilising a dataset following 6–7 years of recovery after the 2015–2017 bleaching event, our results show that depth-homogenisation of coral communities was temporary and carbonate production rates at 10 m depth recovered quicker at 3 of 4 studied atolls. The exception is Great Chagos Bank where slower recovery of branching and tabular corals at 10 m has led to a longer-lasting depth-homogenisation of carbonate production rates. The latter example cautions that more frequent bleaching events may drive increasing homogenisation of carbonate production rates across depth gradients, with implications for vital reef geo-ecological functions.