#Status of Coral Reefs 2002 - International Coral Reef Action Network

Status of Coral Reefs in the Hawaiian Archipelago
COMING TOGETHER IN THE NORTHWESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
The President of the United States signed 2 Executive Orders in December 2000 and
January 2001, establishing the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem
Reserve (NWHICRER). This covers an area 1200 nautical miles long and 100 nautical
miles wide and is the second largest marine protected area in the world after the
Australian Great Barrier Reef. It is adjacent to areas administered by other Federal or
State resource management agencies. Since 2000, a series of partnerships have
developed among the various State and Federal resource trustees, the academic
community and various NGOs to conduct large-scale, rapid ecological assessments of
this immense area and better describe the various terrestrial and marine habitats. This
has resulted in multi-agency expeditions in 2000, 2001 and 2002 involving many
recognised experts and the discovery of new species, maps of the habitats, and a
rethinking of what constitutes a natural coral reef ecosystem. Much of this will be
used by managers to not only help reshape the future of the NWHICRER, but also to
better manage both natural and impacted reef areas in the populated main Hawaiian
Islands. The first such report from these expeditions: ‘Coral Reef Ecosystems of the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands’ is available on the web at www.hawaii.edu/ssri/hcri, or
see www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov/. From: David Gulko, David_A_Gulko@exec.state.hi.us
GOVERNMENT POLICIES, LAWS AND LEGISLATION
These were also detailed in the previous report in 2000 with the major recent activity
being increased mapping, monitoring and research across the NWHI and the designation
of agencies responsible for conservation of the reef resources.
CONCLUSIONS
The increased support over the past 2 years for improved understanding and management
of Hawaii’s coral reefs reflect their importance in Hawaiian culture. However, the coral
reefs continue to be threatened by population growth, urbanisation, development and
over-fishing. Ocean outfalls, urban and recreational coastal development (hotels, golf
courses, etc.) are focal points for coral reef degradation, and new technologies for
extraction, offshore aquaculture, and bioprospecting raise concerns about the ability of
management agencies to keep ahead of these damages to coral reef resources. In the
MHI, there is clear evidence of over-exploitation of most target food fish and invertebrates,
and key marine aquarium trade species. Compounding these problems for resource
managers is gross under-reporting of current levels of exploitation and the introduction of
alien species that can change the structure and function of Hawaii’s reefs and threaten
endemic species.
Significant progress, however, has been made in mapping, monitoring, researching, and
managing Hawaii’s reefs. Digital habitat maps of the MHI and NWHI will help managers
identify and protect the most critical areas to support biodiversity conservation and
fisheries productivity. Research supported by the Hawaii Coral Reef Institute continues to
improve the understanding of land-water interactions and how natural and humaninduced
stresses affect coral reef ecosystems. Monitoring programs provide feedback on
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