CORDIO Status Report 2000

SRI LANKA
Most shallow coral reef habitats in Sri Lanka were severely
damaged as a result of coral bleaching in 1998.
Surveys conducted between June 1998 and January 2000
(7) revealed that many of the dominant forms of reef
building corals in the shallow coral habitats have been
destroyed. Invasive organisms such as tunicates, corallimorpharians
and algae now dominate the dead coral
reefs. Furthermore, the dead coral patches were rapidly
inundated by sediment thus preventing re-colonization
of coral larvae. Also, in every area surveyed thus far, except
Trincomalee in the northeast, the hydrocoral,
Millepora spp., which was once common, appears to be
completely absent. However, despite the destruction of
corals in shallow water (< 8 m), corals growing in deeper
waters (> 10 m) have recovered from bleaching almost
completely providing a source for new recruits and
reef recovery.
Recovery of bleached corals in shallow reef habitats
has been extremely low and has been hindered by further
damage to the reef structures by uncontrolled and
destructive human activities. Even the marine protected
areas in Sri Lanka are largely unmanaged and increasing
human activities within these protected areas continue
to degrade their condition. Considering the
present condition of the reefs and the inevitability of future
anthropogenic impacts, the prospects for reef recovery
are poor.
The impact on fishes by the loss of live hard corals is
clearly visible in the decreased abundance of several species
of fish that depend on live corals for food (e.g. Chaetodonts).
However, it is less obvious in fish populations
in deeper water that are less dependent on live corals for
their survival. Nevertheless, it is expected that the reduction
in cover of live hard coral will directly affect the
fishery potential of reefs through habitat degradation
and loss thus, having an adverse impact on the income
of coastal communities.
At present, a study is being conducted to determine
the socio-economic impacts of degradation of the coral
reefs of Sri Lanka, focusing on the demersal and ornamental
fisheries and reef related tourism (8). Building
on these results, another project is planned to investigate
the prospects of providing alternative livelihoods for dependants
on coral reefs (9).
In addition, CORDIO, with assistance from National
Aquatic Resources Research & Development Agency
(NARA), has begun training students of Eastern University
in the basic techniques of coral reef monitoring,
with the aim of developing the local capacity to undertake
such monitoring. The training includes coral and
fish taxonomy, LIT (Line Intercept Technique) and
data analysis.
PROJECT LIST
India
Country co-ordinator: M.V.M. Wafar
Institute: National Institute of Oceanography
1. Recovery and monitoring of the reefs.
2. Assessment of the effects of coral mortality on reef
communities.
3. Socio-economic effects on local populations and
tourism.
Maldives
Country co-ordinator: Hussein Zahir
Institute: Marine Research Centre
1. Reef recovery processes: Evaluation of succession
and coral recruitment in the Maldives
2. Assessing bioerosion and its effects on reef structure
following a bleaching event in the Maldives.
3. The economics of coral reef deterioration with special
reference to bleaching.
Sri Lanka
Country co-ordinator: Arjan Rajasuriya
Institute: National Aquatic Resources Research & Development
Agency
1. Impacts of coral bleaching on reef communities.
2. Monitoring and assessment of socio-economic aspects
of coral bleaching and degradation in Sri Lanka.
3. Develop alternative livelihoods for people dependent
on coral reef resources.
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