Improving MPA Management

Webinar: Ocean Optimism – Solutions to Save our Blue Planet

Ocean Optimism: Solutions to Save our Blue Planet

On Tuesday 10^th November the next of the marine science webinar series was held online providing a welcome dose of ocean optimism as a panel of international experts discussed different solutions to save our blue planet.

Dr Asha de Vos (Oceanswell) was joined by the expert panel to discuss solutions to key threats to the ocean including climate change, illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing and plastic pollution.

A recording of the webinar is now available to watch here:

https://vimeo.com/478407976

Moderator: Dr. Asha de Vos – Oceanswell

Dr. Asha de Vos is an internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan marine biologist, ocean educator and pioneer of long-term blue whale research within the Northern Indian Ocean. She is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Oceans Institute of the University of Western Australia. She has degrees from the University of St. Andrews, University of Oxford and the University of Western Australia but escaped academia to establish her own Sri Lankan grown non-profit, Oceanswell – Sri Lanka’s first marine conservation research and education organization. Her work has been showcased internationally by the BBC, the New York Times, TED and National Geographic to name a few. Amongst her many accolades Asha was listed on the BBC 100 Women 2018 list of most inspiring and influential women from around the world and named Lanka Monthly Digest’s Sri Lankan of the Year also in 2018.

Dr. Jeffrey Maynard – SymbioSeas

Dr. Jeffrey Maynard is the Director of SymbioSeas, a non-profit based in coastal North Carolina in the US. Dr. Maynard assembles and then leads teams that support marine conservation and management. SymbioSeas teams use statistics, climate models, GIS, and ecological modeling to develop decision-support frameworks. Examples of work led by SymbioSeas teams include: climate projections of future green sea turtle population viability in Hawaii, forecasts of epizootic shell disease prevalence in New England and Canada, and maps of cumulative exposure to disturbances in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Dr. Maynard recently co-led a team supported by the United Nations and the Bertarelli Foundation (with others) to develop state-of-art climate model projections of future coral bleaching conditions. Dr. Maynard has authored 100+ peer-reviewed publications in the fields of climate science, coral reef ecology, and marine and reef conservation and management.

Nick Wise – OceanMind

Nick Wise is founder and CEO of OceanMind, a non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting the world’s fisheries. Using satellites and artificial intelligence, OceanMind empowers effective fisheries enforcement and enables more responsible seafood sourcing, increasing compliance and sustainability. Nick has been designing large scale, highly secure software solutions for over 20 years, using innovative techniques focused on market needs. Before joining the ranks of social entrepreneurship, Nick’s journey saw him starting an Internet security business, as CTO of a mature SME, and managing product development in a billion-dollar multinational. Nick now empowers people to solve global issues with technology.

Claire Collins – University of Exeter

Claire is a social scientist interested in how understanding of social dimensions can be better integrated into marine policy and management. Her PhD focuses on shark fisheries in Sri Lanka, looking at how value chains are structured and how fishers perceive regulations and management. Her work also looks at how social science approaches and techniques can be used to characterise and manage illegal fishing and is currently studying non-compliance of fishers with the MPA surrounding the Chagos Archipelago.

Nakul Saran – Minderoo Foundation

Nakul Saran is the Chief Operating Officer of Sea the Future, Minderoo Foundation’s global industry-led initiative to end plastic leakage to nature and accelerate the transition toward a circular plastics economy. At Sea the Future, Nakul leads a global team to design innovative market-based mechanisms that can enable plastics circularity and kick-start commercially viable recycling markets. Nakul’s work has largely focused on developing financing and governance solutions to restore the world’s fragile ecosystems. Prior to joining Minderoo, he served as an independent consultant for major public and social sector clients including the World Bank, World Economic Forum, and Friends of Ocean Action. A passionate lover of oceans, Nakul has served as Vice President, Fish Forever at Rare, where he led the global conservation organization’s efforts to revitalize oceans, scaling the program to span five countries and over 100 coastal communities, and was awarded the Mulago Foundation’s Rainer Arnhold Fellowship for his leadership.

Coral Reefs

Webinar: Secret Biodiversity – Uncovering Hidden Species and Behaviours

Secret Biodiversity: Uncovering Hidden Species and Behaviours

The second of the new marine science seminar series was held online on Tuesday 13^th October. This session looked at ‘Secret Biodiversity: Uncovering Hidden Species and Behaviours’ and featured a fantastic panel of international experts chaired by Dr Dominic Andradi-Brown of WWF.

A recording of the seminar is available to watch here:

https://vimeo.com/468540511

Here are answers to some of the remaining questions which there wasn’t time to answer during the live session.

Have you noticed any specific behaviours between shark clans or pairs that may be acting to keep their social bonds strong? An equivalent to grooming in primates so to speak!

David Jacoby: With the technology we are working with acoustic telemetry we are already pushing the boundaries of what we can understand about behaviour. Our techniques are inference methods as we cannot actually directly measure social behaviour in the same way that we would for grooming interactions in primates. The challenge we face is studying animals that we will never see again and that travel long distances under water – hence the combined approaches of the camera tags with the acoustic tags. We’ve done a little work on leadership in these sharks and find that females are more likely to lead away from the reef than males who are more likely to follow. I would say that strong social bonds are maintained by the duration of time these individuals spend together. I really does seem as though they have quite tight knit communities. Hopefully the technology will progress sufficiently soon that we can measure and importantly retrieve data on direct social interactions in wild sharks.

Are there other species of sharks known to have the similar social groups such as grey reef sharks?

David Jacoby: There are a number of other species that have been shown to be social including (but not limited to) manta rays, blacktip reef sharks, small spotted catsharks, lemon sharks etc. So, it seems that social behaviour is not necessarily uncommon in sharks. The study I presented is the first however to suggest that sharks can maintain social preferences over many years, and that perhaps the mechanism driving structure is one of information exchange about foraging locations.

Is there any ex situ conservation work on Chagos brain coral? Would an in situ conservation intervention be possible?

Bryan Wilson: A great question, essentially underpinning the biggest challenge to my research at the moment, here at the University of Oxford. The Chagos Marine Protected Area is a wonderfully difficult location to get to but I’m always so very aware that it is this remoteness that drives its incredible biodiversity. And in that regard, both in situ and ex situ conservation work on the Chagos brain coral are inherently “difficult”. Limited access to the area means that the regular monitoring and management that in situ work would require is problematic, whilst the administrative (and not least, ethical) issues of removing and transporting critically endangered species overseas for studies are a major concern. However, I’m spending a good deal of my time looking into how we might solve these critical problems – and collecting gametes and/or larvae from spawning Ctenella chagius for ex situ conservation seems to be the most logical way forward, essentially minimising physical perturbation of the adult colonies in situ, whilst also allowing for a more amenable means of transporting live biological specimens out of the territory. I’m hoping that with the wonderful ongoing collaboration and support of the Zoological Society of London and Horniman Museum and Gardens, we shall ultimately be successful in this venture!

Is the amount of boring algae associated with the health of the corals?

Bryan Wilson: Another very pertinent question and absolutely on my current research radar – the data that I presented during the presentation is very much at the cutting edge of what we know about this species and as I only received this microbiome data back very recently, I haven’t as of yet had the time to fully delve into it. Major biological and ecological statements will also have to be tempered by my small (N = 7) sample number – however, with the serendipitous discovery of this “Aladdin’s Cave” of colonies in the northern atolls, I am relishing the opportunity to return the MPA and sample more extensively.

Do if you think the Chagos brain coral could be the panda of coral reefs? Or does it represent the general survival chances of Chagos coral reefs?

Bryan Wilson: That’s a salient point and one that I’ve discussed with many of my colleagues. Whilst I won’t deny that I have become very attached to the idea (bordering on all-consuming passion!) of conserving this iconic species, it’s important to place this coral – like Giant Pandas – in the greater contextual framework of an environment under stress. We’re seeing the degradation of reefs on a global scale, and the reduction and loss of a number of coral species – in the Chagos MPA, Ctenella chagius is the species most threatened, teetering on the very brink of extinction – but other coral species will surely follow in the years to come if we don’t act now. And so I believe that if we can save Ctenella and put in place a conservation framework to recover corals such as these, then we may have a greater chance of halting the decline in biodiversity on these reefs.

Is there any work being done on the presence of potential toxins from manmade sources like agricultural pesticides and herbicides in the water around the Chagos Archipelago?

Currently this work is not funded as part of this marine science programme but there is interest in developing this work in the near future.

Coral Reefs

Webinar: Rats, Seabirds and Reefs – Holistic Approaches to Island Restoration

Rats, Seabirds and Reefs: Holistic Approaches to Island Restoration

On Tuesday 15^th September, the first of a new series of marine science seminars was held online. The session, “Rats, Seabirds and Reefs: Holistic Approaches to Island Restoration” featured an international scientific panel chaired by Professor Heather Koldewey.

A recording of the seminar is now available to watch here:

https://vimeo.com/458202381

Below are answers to some of the remaining questions which there wasn’t time to answer during the live session.

What is our current understanding of how higher nutrient levels around rat free islands influence coral bleaching susceptibility in the Chagos Archipelago?

Casey Benkwitt: In lab studies, higher natural nutrient levels (like those from seabirds or fish) have been shown to reduce coral bleaching susceptibility. But, our field surveys in the Chagos Archipelago from before versus ~3 years after the 2015/2016 mass bleaching event did not show increased coral resistance around rat-free islands (i.e., coral loss was similar around rat-free and rat-infested islands). There are a few possible explanations for this difference between lab and field studies – one is that seabird nutrients reduce bleaching susceptibility during less extreme heat waves, but the 2015/2016 event was so intense and prolonged that it overpowered any benefits of seabird nutrients. Even though resistance wasn’t higher around rat-free islands, we’re now looking at whether reefs around rat-free islands recover more quickly, which is possible given the high cover of CCA and high biomass of herbivores near these islands. If you want more info, see Benkwitt et al. 2019 in Global Change Biology where we answer this question in detail!

Do you think there could be a carrying capacity of seabird populations in the Chagos archipelago based on fish productivity in the open ocean in which they can feed. i.e. could recovery of seabird numbers also be limited by food availability?

Pete Carr: A good question that has not been answered anywhere in the world regarding seabird recovery to the best of my knowledge. I suspect there is a prey availability carrying capacity cap, other top predators in different ecosystems most certainly are. It would be an interesting question to try and answer. With the methodology from my talk and the data I have, we could calculate the maximum number of breeding pairs if all islands were cleared of rats and rewilded to option C (the real time rewilding to savanna and native forest). I am guessing there are papers giving food consumption by seabirds (e.g. Danckwerts et al, 2014 for WIO). So you could get an order of magnitude of the prey needed. How one could calculate if there is that amount of prey available in Chagos is not a question I could answer. Be nice to think about it though.

Which of the three models presented would be the most practical in terms of cost effectiveness and value to the ecosystem?

Pete Carr: Based upon Casey’s talk (and Graham et al., 2018), that proves the cross-ecosystem benefits of seabird islands, plus, maximising breeding numbers of seabirds that could possibly be a source for depleted seabird populations elsewhere in the Indian Ocean, it would be logical to go for the highest totals – Option C. Option A did not restore a seabird-driven ecosystem (92% of island not being available to breeding seabirds because it is abandoned plantation) and therefore is not a viable rewilding option. Option B cannot be achieved in reality as I said, one cannot create wetlands on porous coral or, beach in an environment where there are “shifting sands” depending on prevailing winds and tides – and is not necessary because RSF graphs proved and the pie charts demonstrated we only need (and can only) create two habitats, savanna (read open areas) and native forest. Not so much a true CBA but a logical decision making process.

In Kenya, the government banned the use some chemicals used to eradicate the Indian House Crows which are believed to be a threat to other indigenous birds which they feed on within Mombasa Island and along other cities in the coastline. Is there an effective way of eradicating the crows without posing any danger within the community where they mostly feed?

Sarah Havery: Without knowing the specific details it is difficult to suggest whether eradication is possible or not – given the location it is likely that long-term control to reduce the population would be the most feasible approach. There have been some successful bird eradications from islands in the Seychelles, which I believe was achieved by shooting.

Breeding success studies are ongoing across Seychelles for several species, as expected there is lower breeding success on islands with rats but we also have population decline on an island with no rats. Restoration will/should lead to seabird population increase but other factors may also interfere with population recovery, like food availability. Have you been investigating this in the Chagos Archipelago? Are there breeding success studies for seabirds on the Chagos Islands?

Pete Carr: We are not investigating food availability (but suspect as a result of this webinar it may be researched in the future and see above). Please read Carr et al., 2020 in Bird Conservation International for the latest assessment on breeding seabirds.

Improving MPA Management

New Marine Science Seminar Series Launches 15th September

The first of the Bertarelli Foundation’s monthly marine science seminars will take place on 15^th September. This online seminar series will invite experts to share their knowledge and experience as we explore important marine science questions and conservation challenges.

This first session will take place online at 1pm (BST) on Tuesday 15^th September and will discuss holistic approaches to island restoration. Chaired by Prof. Heather Koldewey, she will introduce four speakers who are all working on the interface between tropical islands and coral reef systems.

Intact island ecosystems are vitally important for biodiversity conservation. However, more recently, researchers are also considering the role that island ecosystems also play in supporting the health of neighbouring reefs.

Following the short ten-minute talks, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions – or provide their experience – about this increasingly important topic.

Seminar: Rats, Seabirds and Reefs: Holistic Approaches to Island Restoration

When: Tuesday 15^th September 1pm (BST)

Chair: Professor Heather Koldewey (Zoological Society of London)

Speakers:

Sarah Havery (RSPB) – The Importance of Removing Invasive Species

Sarah Havery is a Senior Species Recovery Officer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) based in the UK. She received her BSc. (Hons) in Biology from the University of Bristol and her MSc. in Conservation and Biodiversity from the University of Exeter. Sarah has been directly involved in habitat and species recovery work on islands in the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific, the Caribbean and in the UK. Her role at RSPB involves managing conservation programmes to support the recovery of globally threatened species in the UK Overseas Territories and in east Africa. Sarah is also a trustee for the Chagos Conservation Trust and is supporting the development of their Healthy Islands, Healthy Reefs programme.

Dr Araceli Samaniego-Herrera (Landcare Research) – Rat Eradication on Tropical Islands

Araceli’s niche is at the intersection between biodiversity conservation and applied research. As a conservation manager, she has led numerous conservation projects on islands, including 12 rodent eradications—all successful. Her 18-year career in island restoration started in Mexico and expanded internationally to countries including Australia, Belize, Canada, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Zealand and the USA. As a conservation scientist, she aims to advance restoration methods particularly for tropical islands, where challenges are more complex. She uses and promotes technological innovations to maximise conservation effectiveness. She recently joined Landcare Research (New Zealand) and is excited to contribute to awe-inspiring projects such as Predator Free New Zealand.

Peter Carr (University of Exeter) – Is Rat Eradication Enough to Rewild Tropical Islands?

Peter first visited the Chagos Archipelago in 1996 and has been committed to the conservation and rewilding of the islands since. Author of Birds of BIOT (Carr 2011a) and numerous articles and papers on the area’s natural history (e.g. Carr et al. 2013, Carr 2014, Carr 2015), as part of his PhD, he has recently published the definitive account of the breeding seabirds (Carr et al. 2020). While working on Diego Garcia (2008-2013) he raised the funds and led the restoration of the largest expanse of freshwater in the central Indian Ocean, now home to all species of the region’s dragonflies (Carr, 2020). He also 50% funded and led a trial of rewilding abandoned coconut plantations, successfully converting 30 hectare of plantation back to native forest – this project gave the opportunity to over 200 people to become involved in conservation activities on Diego Garcia (Carr 2011b). In 2014, Peter led the first successful eradication of rats from an island in the Chagos Archipelago (Harper et al. 2019). In 2019, he spent eight months on Lord Howe Island as a team leader on the largest rat and mouse eradication project of its kind in the world. Peter is presently finishing his PhD and, is part of the steering committee working towards rewilding the northern atolls of the Chagos Archipelago.

Dr Casey Benkwitt (Lancaster University) – How Rats Influence Coral Reefs

Casey is a marine ecologist who is broadly interested in the behavioural, population, and community ecology of reef fishes, with a focus on how human activities influence these processes. Originally from New Jersey, USA, she earned her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Sociology from Bowdoin College in Maine. While at university, Casey learned to scuba dive, which convinced her of two things – she wanted to conduct marine research and she wanted to do so in warmer waters. After spending a few years as a Fisheries Biologist and then a Marine Science Instructor, Casey earned her PhD in Zoology at Oregon State University studying how invasive lionfish affect native coral-reef fishes in the Caribbean. Casey then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at California State University, Northridge, where she researched the effects of different fishing regimes on sex-changing fishes in kelp forests. Casey is now a postdoc at Lancaster University as part of the Bertarelli Programme in Marine Science. Her current research focuses on how nutrient subsidies from seabirds influence coral reefs, including whether seabird-derived nutrients can boost the resilience of coral-reef communities to climate change and whether management actions to remove invasive rats and restore seabird populations benefit coral reefs.

If you’re interested in joining, please register online here.