An aerial view of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, following the 26 December 2004 tsunami ... scientists have revealed that the tsunami was less damaging to reefs in the area than human impacts.
Credit: AFP
SYDNEY: The daily activities of humans on coral reefs cause more damage to these fragile ecosystems than the giant tsunami that swept away most of the coast around the Indian Ocean in 2004.
Reefs damaged by people also take longer to recover from such one off events, according to an international team of researchers.
The research was carried out in March 2005, less than 100 days after the tsunami. An international team of scientists including ecologists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, Syiah Kuala University in Aceh, Indonesia, and James Cook University in Queensland, Australia, visited 49 reefs in northern Aceh - all within 300 km of the epicentre - to determine the condition of the reefs in the wake of the tsunami.
"Basically we found that the early reports about tsunami devastation to the coral reefs on which the local tourism industry is based were grossly exaggerated," said Andrew Baird of James Cook University, who was a member of the assessment team. "Similarly, the tsunami had no detectable effect on reef fish assemblages at these sites. Damage to the corals was surprisingly limited and trivial when compared to pre-existing damage, probably caused by destructive fishing practices."
But their most startling finding was that reef condition was clearly related to how effectively the reef was being managed. Many reefs have unrestricted access, where some local people fish using destructive methods such as dynamite or poison. Others are managed according to local rules.
"Coral cover was on average two to three times higher on reefs managed under the traditional Acehnese system, and in the Pulau Rubiah Marine Park compared to open-access areas," said Stuart Campbell, who leads the Wildlife Conservation Society's Indonesian marine program. "The high quality of many of the reefs of Pulau Weh represents a considerable conservation achievement ... this is one of the few examples of successful marine resource management using both a traditional approach and marine reserves globally."
Morgan Pratchett, also from James Cook University, thinks this success arises from the connection between people and their environment: "The Acehnese traditional model has been successful because maintaining the livelihoods of the people is the main goal - people have not been excluded from the environment. Fishing pressure is managed through group decisions plus there is an effective means of conflict resolution."
"We have much to learn from the Acehnese experience," added Blair. "Their success in the face of civil war, economic collapse, and catastrophic natural disaster is extraordinary, and the goal is to understand and replicate their success in other parts of Indonesia and the world."
The study was published in the U.S. journal Atoll Research Bulletin.
with James Cook University
