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Media ReleaseScientists torpedoreef theoryThree James Cook University researchers at the new ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies(CoECRS) have called for the worldwide networking of tropical marine parks and protected areas tolimit the risk of large-scale extinctions under global change, in the light of new scientific fi ndings. Theirresearch, published in March 2006 in the international science journal Nature, fi nds evidence from sitesacross the Pacific Ocean to refute the "neutral theory of biodiversity", which had been proposed as aframework for conservation.“Worldwide, coral reefs are in decline – and it’s clear that current management approaches are notworking,” says the study’s lead author, Dr Maria Dornelas. “We wanted to fi nd out whether this newtheory provided a way forward. So we decided to ask the corals.”Dr Dornelas and Centre researcher Dr Sean Connolly, both of James Cook University, tested the theory’spredictions by teaming up with Centre Director Professor Terry Hughes, who had recently completed ahuge survey of coral diversity at 180 sites spread over 10,000 kms from Sulawesi to French Polynesia.“Not only did we fi nd that the theory didn’t work,” says Dr Connolly, “it failed in a completelyunexpected way, totally different from what critics of the neutral theory had been expecting. By lookingclosely at how and why the theory failed, we gained some new insights into how coral reefs sustain somany species.”Their research has been hailed by Nature as “a paper that will turn our attention in a completelynew direction”, in a commentary by Dr John Pandolfi of the University of Queensland. It “has clearlyinvigorated the debate over the importance of biological details in determining the co-existence ofspecies within communities,” he saysNeutral theory argues that coral species colonise reefs in a random way, much like a lottery. Howeverthe team’s studies of living reefs revealed that location and environmental change play a critical role indetermining what sorts of corals settle and flourish – and which ones fail to establish.This has major implications for the long-term survival of corals – and for how marine conservation areasare managed, Dr Connolly says. “Just because a particular location’s environment suits some corals’specifi c strengths now, doesn’t mean that it will always be so. Corals need to disperse their offspringwidely, so that when conditions change, some of their offspring are in places where the environmenthas become more suitable for them.”The team likens this approach to biodiversity management to maintaining a balanced portfolio ofinvestments on the stock market. Leaving all your money in one stock increases the risk of a mishap– a broad spread cushions the impact. “Most marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world are toosmall and too isolated to preserve the links between populations on different reefs. This increases therisk that a rare group of animals could go extinct unless they can colonise a more favourable reef,” saysProfessor Hughes. “The recent re-zoning of the Great Barrier Reef is a step in the right direction, but weneed to see MPAs networked worldwide across national borders to help reefs cope with the large-scaleenvironmental changes expected with global warming.”2 March 200617
Program 3:Marine Reserves andReef ConnectivityResearchersGarry Russ (Program Leader)Glenn Almany (Research Fellow)Andrew Baird (Research Fellow)David BellwoodSean ConnollyTerry Hughes (Research Fellow)Geoffrey JonesMichael KingsfordLaurence McCookMark McCormickMark MeekanPhilip Munday (Research Fellow)Serge PlanesJohn PandolfiMorgan Pratchett (Research Fellow)Garry RussBette WillisNetworks of marine reserves (no-takezones) are used to manage biodiversityand fi sheries. Consequently, zoning formultiple levels of usage and protectionis fast becoming the principal mode ofmanagement of maritime resources.An improved understanding of marineconnectivity and barriers to dispersal iscentral to this endeavor.Centre research fellow Glenn Almany andcolleagues have continued to developnovel methods for direct marking oflarval fi shes, and have conducted anumber of trials in Australia, Indonesiaand PNG, using a range of reef fi sh,including several of major commercialand recreational importance (e.g. largegroupers, including coral trout). Theseexperiments employ enriched isotopelarval markers to quantify exchangeamong adjacent subpopulations andexamine export of larvae from their natalreef. A key paper, based on these newtechnologies, is in press in Science.In 2006, Program Leader Garry Russand colleagues completed the fi rstfi eld assessments of the new re-zoningon nearshore reefs the Great BarrierReef Marine Park. Initial data from theWhitsunday Islands indicated a relativelyfast and positive response of targetedreef fi sh populations to the new zoning.Geoff Jones, Glen Almany and Garryalso began pilot experiments to test ifno-take zones in the Keppel Islands ofGreat Barrier Reef (GBR) export larvaeof commercially and recreationallyimportant reef fi sh to adjacent fi shedareas. Clearly, this work is highly relevantfor numerous management agenciesresponsible for the sustainability of theGBR Marine Park.Garry continues to work in the Philippineswith colleague Angel Alcala, with theimplementation of a major new researchprogram in 2006. It will produce anoceanographic and larval dispersalmodel of the region (the Bohol Sea) and arigorous biogeographic description of thecoral reef fauna. This new informationwill be used as inputs into a major siteselectionprocess to assist in designingand expanding the marine reservenetwork in the Philippines.Geoff Jones and Partner InvestigatorSerge Planes from the University ofPerpignan have been awarded additionalfunding from the Coral Reef Initiative ofthe South Pacifi c (CRISP) program. Theirproject will provide critical information onthe size and spacing of marine protectedareas, and develop an understandingof how reef fi sh populations are likelyto respond to increasing scales of coralreef degradation. Geoff and Canadiancolleague Peter Sale will lead a jointARC Centre of Excellence-World BankGlobal Environment Fund (GEF) workshopin Townsville next year on “New insightsinto connectivity and implications forcoral reef management”.Program 3 has clearly defi ned and directlinks to Program 1 (contemporary andhistorical fi shing levels on the GreatBarrier Reef), Program 2 (managementof biodiversity within and outside marinereserves), Program 4 (prevalence ofcoral diseases inside and outside marinereserves) and Program 5 (communitybasedmanagement of marine reservesand its relationship to social andgovernance systems).18
Page 1 and 2: 2006 Annual Report
Page 4: VisionGlobal leadership in the prov
Page 7 and 8: Management StructureCentre Advisory
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Page 12: ProfessorOve Hoegh-GuldbergProfesso
Page 15 and 16: Program 1Evolutionary andenvironmen
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Page 21 and 22: Program 4:Genetic, molecular andphy
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Page 57 and 58: Financial StatusThe operating cash

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