June 2004
In this Issue:
Jelly babies a
world first
From the CEO’s
desk
Catchment-to-Reef
Crown-of-thorns starfish
plague linked to run-off
Researchers
meet Trinity Inlet Traditional Owners
International Fish
Otolith Symposium
Reel values
Hi-tech video
camera goes overboard
Sharks
get a bite at marine wildlife workshop
Science on
radio
Supporting reef
studies
Diary
IMPAC
Recognising traditional law
Solving the mystery of the coral triangle
Protecting PNG’s
underwater paradise
CRC Torres Strait
CRC Torres Strait news
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SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF THE CORAL TRIANGLE
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Surveying
reefs in the Solomon Islands.
Photo by Benjamin Kahn, APEX Environmental. |
The Solomon Islands has one of the highest diversities of coral
and fish species anywhere in the world with several species that
are new to science. These discoveries have been made during a five-week
scientific expedition to survey the marine resources of the Solomon
Islands led by The Nature Conservancy.
"The region known as the 'Coral triangle', which contains
the world’s richest marine life, was thought to extend from
the waters of Indonesia into Papua New Guinea. The survey has shown
that the Coral triangle extends even further, into waters of the
Solomon Islands,” said Dr Alison Green, Marine Science Coordinator
(Asia Pacific) for The Nature Conservancy, who led the survey.
“The survey team recorded 485 species of corals in the Solomon
Islands with several species which are possibly new to science and
more than 100 species of corals thousands of kilometres beyond their
known range, “ said Dr Green. “This is one of the highest
diversities of coral species on the planet.”
“Before this survey, we knew almost nothing about the corals
in the Solomon Islands,” said Dr Green. “In just one
place that we surveyed, the team found every known species from
some groups of corals plus new ones that we didn’t know existed.
The discovery of these species will change our maps of where corals
live in the world. It is very exciting.”
“The survey has also revealed that the Solomon Islands is
one of the ‘big five’ for coral reef fish species and
ranks with Indonesia, Philippines, Australia and Papua New Guinea,”
said Dr Green. “The survey team found 931 species of fish
in the Solomon Islands with 35 species that have only been recorded
previously from other regions such as Indonesia or New Guinea.”
“At some sites in the Solomon Islands, we found exceptionally
high numbers of reef fish species by world standards,” said
Dr Green. “For example, the team recorded 279 fish species
near Gizo in the Western Province. This incredibly high diversity
of fish species is only exceeded by one area in Indonesia where
284 fish species were recorded.”
“The survey found that, overall, the coral reefs of the Solomon
Islands are in very good condition compared with other areas in
the Indo-Pacific region,” said Dr Green. “Although human
populations are rising, there is much less pressure on reefs of
the Solomon Islands than on other areas. However, there are some
concerns about the impacts of coral bleaching, land use and fishing
on reefs in the Solomon Islands.”
“The next challenge will be to ensure that the reefs in the
Solomon Islands which we now know to be very special, not only in
the region but in the world, are protected for the future,”
said Dr Green.
The survey team spent 35 days from 14 May until 18 June surveying
the main archipelago of the Solomon Islands. The survey was led
by The Nature Conservancy and was a cooperative project by the Solomon
Islands Government, local and international non-government conservation
agencies (including the World Wide Fund for Nature, Conservation
International, Wildlife Conservation Society) and Australian scientific
institutions including the Australian Institute of Marine Science,
CRC Reef Research Centre, Queensland Department of Primary Industries
and Fisheries and APEX Environmental. It is supported by the David
and Lucile Packard Foundation, Homeland Foundation, the John D.
and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy
For more information contact Dr Alison Green, agreen@tnc.org
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