Conservation of the coral community and local stakeholders’ perceptions of climate change impacts: Examples and gap analysis in three Japanese national parks

Abstract

Coastal ecosystems consisting of coral communities have high ecosystem services and are important for tourism, fisheries, and the maintenance of biodiversity. Corals are often considered a major tourist resource in national parks located in the southern part of Japan. However, due to global-scale stresses such as climate change and local-scale stresses such as mass outbreaks of coral predators, there is a need to consider appropriate management and countermeasures. Two national parks in the subtropical zone (Keramashoto and Amamigunto national parks) and one national park in the temperate zone (Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park) in Japan were selected as a case study. The objectives of this study were to determine the status of coral conservation/management from websites and reports, and to clarify perceptions/concerns about climate change impacts through interviews with local stakeholders. The overall aim was to identify challenges in achieving sustainable use of coral ecosystems in national parks under climate change. In all of the national parks, the use of the sea area for tourism, such as diving, was very active. At the same time, coral monitoring and culling of predators were being carried out. However, the results of the interviews revealed that each park had different issues in implementing conservation activities, and Ashizuri-Uwakai showed a lack of manpower compared to the other two parks due to the scattered distribution of diving operators. From the interviews on the impacts of climate change, the increases in air and water temperatures were recognized in all parks and were consistent with the actual observed data. In terms of future concerns, increased coral bleaching frequency was common. Text mining showed that perceptions of coastal resources differed among parks and between occupations (tourism, fisheries, and government). Since concerns about climate change varied among regions and conservation activity systems also differed, it is important to consider and implement adaptation measures based on an appropriate understanding of local conditions.