Marine Park Research Articles

Comparative analysis of three vegetative propagation techniques of Rhizophora racemosa G.F.W. Meyer for ex-situ conservation

Context: Mangroves are threatened by human activities and climate change which affect their biotopes. For the sake of their preservation, this prospective study of the adaptation of Rhizophora racemosa from the Marine Park of Mangroves (PMM) in the Democratic Republic of Congo was conducted on the sandy soils of Kinshasa, more than 400 km from its natural site. Methods: Three vegetative propagation techniques, including transplanting wildlings, germinating propagules and sowing propagule cuttings, were tested in pots. The experimental trial lasted six months. Results: The transplanted wildlings barely survived the end of the trial (20%). The immature and mature propagules recorded the germination rates of 99.5% and 100% respectively. The seedlings resulting from this vegetative propagation experienced good growth and development after 6 months of cultivation. The use of propagules and their cuttings is thus the most recommended technique for transplanting R. racemosa G.F.W. Meyer into the soil of Kinshasa. Conclusion: The domestication of R. racemosa G.F.W. Meyer ex situ based on propagule cuttings offers the possibility of ecologically relocating this plant species potentially threatened with extinction and thus ensuring its conservation.

Marine heatwaves in the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea: their mechanisms and impacts on shallow and mesophotic coral ecosystems

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) World Heritage Area and adjacent Coral Sea Marine Park are under serious threat from global climate change. This study used Daily Optimally Interpolated Sea Surface Temperature (DOISST) data to identify major marine heatwaves (MHWs) that have occurred in this region over the last three decades (1992–2022). We then used Himawari-8 (H-8) SST data to map significant MHW events that occurred between 2015 and 2022. We investigated the mechanisms underlying the MHWs, assessed thier impact on shallow and mesophotic coral reef ecosystems and identified potential coral refugia. MHWs in this region have increased in frequency, intensity and spatial extent. El Niño, especially when it is in phase with positive Indian Ocean Dipole, was the key remote driver leading to intense MHWs. However, the more recent strong MHWs (e.g., 2017 and 2022) occurred in the abscence of these climatic events, signifying the impacts of long-term climate change and local drivers. We also found that reduced wind speed and shoaling mixed layer depth, often together with reduced cloudiness, were the main local drivers pre-conditioning these MHWs. Anomalous air-sea heat flux into the ocean, mainly controlled by shortwave solar radiation (cloudiness) and latent heat flux (wind), was the most constant contributor to the 2015–16 and 2019–20 MHW events. However, local oceanographic dynamics, especially horizontal advection and turbulent mixing, played important roles in MHW heat budgets. This study confirmed that shallow-water coral bleaching severity was positively related to the cumulative MHW intensity in the 2015–16 and 2019–20 MHW events. We identified shallow reefs along the path of the North Queensland Current as potential coral refugia from bleaching because of the cooler waters upwelled from the ocean current. We also found that, except during weather events such as tropical cyclones, mesophotic reefs in the Coral Sea Marine Park may be less susceptible to severe bleaching as the MHWs were more confined within the shallow mixed layer.

Small coastal marine protected areas offer recurring, seasonal protection to the common stingray (Dasyatis pastinaca)

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a crucial tool in safeguarding marine biodiversity. However, elasmobranchs are often not the primary protection target of MPAs, and their contribution to protect these species remains to be better understood. In this study we examine the movement patterns of common stingrays in the Professor Luiz Saldanha marine park, a Portuguese temperate coastal MPA. Using acoustic telemetry, we tagged 31 common stingrays and analyzed their spatial and temporal distribution within the MPA and adjacent areas using a long-term data set. Our findings indicate that this species exhibits seasonal site fidelity, with greater presence during the colder months and reduced presence during warmer months. Space use areas did not exceed the size of the fully protected area, and nocturnal and crepuscular activity was significantly higher than during daytime. Additionally, we observed that most individuals seasonally migrated between this MPA and the nearby Sado estuary, likely to reproduce in the latter. These results demonstrate the site fidelity of common stingrays to an area within the marine park, however the protection provided is only seasonal. Seasonal protection of the movement corridor between the marine park and the estuary would improve the management of this species.

Identification of coral disease within the high-latitude reef, Lord Howe Island Marine Park

Coral disease prevalence has significantly increased under a changing climate, impacting coral community structure and functionality. The impacts and ecology of coral diseases are unclear in most high-latitude reefs (coral reefs above 28° north and below 28° south). High-latitude locations are vulnerable to climate change; therefore, identifying diseases and developing region-specific baselines are important for local management. We report the first coral disease findings at the UNESCO World Heritage listed Lord Howe Island Marine Park (31.5°S, 159°E), the southernmost coral reef system. This study assessed coral disease prevalence during November 2018, March 2019 and October 2019. Surveys from three lagoonal reefs identified four coral diseases: white syndrome, skeletal eroding band, growth anomalies and endolithic hypermycosis impacting six coral taxa (Acropora, Isopora, Montipora, Pocillopora, Porites and Seriatopora). Overall, disease prevalence was 5 ± 1% and significantly differed between time and site. Disease prevalence was highest in November 2018 (10 ± 1%) and significantly lower during March 2019 (5 ± 1%), coinciding with a bleaching event. White syndrome was the most prevalent disease (4 ± 1%) with 83 colonies of six taxa affected, predominately Isopora. Acroporids recorded the highest disease susceptibility, with three of the four diseases observed. Documenting baseline coral disease prevalence and monitoring throughout a bleaching event assists our understanding of disease ecology dynamics under current climate change impacts at high-latitude reefs.

A mineral listening: digital soundscapes of geological time

Composed between 2020 and 2022 by Guillaume Malaret, Érodé is a musical piece created from field recordings at Eagles Nest, a tidal island in Australia’s Bunurong National Marine Park. Based on an interview with Guillaume Malaret, this article addresses several issues concerning digital representations, renderings, and ecologies of geological, hydrological, and sonic spaces, as well as the cultural geographies of landscape, embodiment, and affect. We explore the potentials of sonic composition and geophonic recordings for mediating bodily connections with difficult-to-imagine processes, such as environmental change over deep time. Our dialogue throughout this article contributes to emerging themes in digital ecological research by focusing on the materialities of digitization, digitally mediated creative practices in sonic geography, and the importance of different affective registers for comprehending environmental transformation.

Beyond the Ecological Boundary: A Quasi-Natural Experiment on the Impact of National Marine Parks on Eco-Efficiency in Coastal Cities

National marine parks (NMPs) are a crucial form of marine protected areas that serve an essential function in safeguarding marine ecosystems and the related inland urban ecosystems. Though 30 coastal cities in China have established NMPs, little is known about the ecological benefits national marine parks contribute to surrounding areas. This study takes China’s coastal cities as an example and employs a multi-period DID model to investigate how eco-efficiency responds to the establishment of national marine parks, based on panel data from 2003 to 2020. The results show that the establishment of NMPs contributed to a 3.87% enhancement in the eco-efficiency of coastal cities. This finding remains robust after a series of robustness tests such as PSM-DID. In addition, significant heterogeneities are captured, with NMPs exhibiting a more substantial enhancement effect for cities along the East China Sea and South China Sea. NMPs with a large area increased the eco-efficiency of coastal cities by 5.18%, but small-area NMPs failed the significance test. A mechanism analysis further reveals that NMPs could improve the eco-efficiency of coastal cities by optimizing the industrial structure, enlivening the local economy, and inhibiting sewage pollution behaviors. This study provides evidence of the impact of NMPs on local eco-efficiency in developing countries.

Expanding protected areas: a case for repairing intergenerational social capital rather than taking the path of least resistance

With many international entities pushing for the protection of 30% of terrestrial and marine habitat by 2030 through the 30x30 global initiative, the expansion of protected areas (PA) will inevitably interface with populations carrying lived experiences of PA management as well as their community’s collective memory of how the promises and outcomes of previous PA establishments materialized. One community recently experiencing a government’s desire to expand a PA is the Ngöbe Indigenous community of Salt Creek, located in and around the Bastimentos Island National Marine Park in Bocas del Toro, Panama. This qualitative case study applies an intergenerational social capital lens to demonstrate that time does not heal past grievances with park administration as broken social capital is a type of intergenerational trauma. It is suggested that repairing social capital is vital to achieving future sustainable tourism and global PA targets but will be a long and intentional process to overcome the collective memory of broken promises. While governments may find it expedient to expand PAs in areas with less resistance, we suggest the investment in repairing social capital will likely lead to better social and environmental outcomes and better align with the ethos of sustainable tourism and collaborative governance.

Spatial and temporal characterization of a recurrent scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini aggregation using drones

Abstract Scalloped hammerhead sharks Sphyrna lewini are threatened throughout their distribution. The species forms aggregations, which can potentially increase its vulnerability to human impacts. Identification and characterization of aggregation sites are essential to inform management and conservation. We used drones to characterize the spatial and temporal distribution of a recently documented scalloped hammerhead aggregation within the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, in southwest Western Australia. A total of 267 drone transects were conducted across the Austral summers of 2019–2020 and 2020–2021. The presence or absence of the sharks was examined in relation to fine scale patterns in habitat type, environmental conditions, and the occurrence of human activities. Scalloped hammerhead sharks had a small spatial and temporal distribution within the study area. Their presence in the study area was higher on days associated with higher lunar illumination phases, which could indicate that the aggregation site is potentially acting as a refuge for resting and/or predatory avoidance. The extent to which human interactions affect scalloped hammerhead sharks at the aggregation site remains unclear and raises questions about the adequacy of management measures at Shoalwater Islands Marine Park. Recommendations are proposed to limit potential impacts, such as establishing spatiotemporal fishing restrictions and regulating public interactions.

Two-dimensional mapping of impulsive ambient sound on a coral reef using vector sensors

Coral reef health is an important focus of tropical marine park management. Evidence exists that passive acoustic measurements of reef sound are associated with reef health and ecodiversity, but its utility would be enhanced by an ability to localize and map source distributions. Since much reef noise is impulsive, arising from both fish and crustaceans, localization could be achieved by collecting relative time-of-arrival information across synchronized spatially separated hydrophones. However, the sheer number of bioacoustic pulses in many reef environments can overwhelm attempts to associate sounds between sensors, Here we discuss how directional acoustic vector sensors sidestep these issues and permit 2-D mapping of thousands of pulses an hour, using data collected from two locations off the Big Island of Hawaii in 2020. At one location, three sensors spaced 20 m apart found acoustic activity was only present along the current-facing side of a 100 m long block reef. A second location set in the middle of more complex topography found several acoustic “hotspots” that remained stable over a month’s worth of measurements. A new generation of vector instrumentation is permitting this approach to be extended to crustacean noise in the kilohertz range. [Work sponsored by ONR and DARPA.]

Mapping reef terrain roughness and benthic habitat complexity in the Pamegaran Island, Kepulauan Seribu National Marine Park

The formation of coral cays in the Kepulauan Seribu Marine Parks, Jakarta Special Capital Region, is the result of patch reef evolution which linked to the geology of sediment accretion, including the ecology of coral growth and competition of benthic community. This study aims to map the level of reef complexity in Pamegaran Island using Benthic Terrain Modeler. Field observation to monitor benthic communities in four stations at 3- and 5- meter depth was combined with SPOT-7 image processing to evaluate in situ rugosity, 3-dimensional bathymetry and benthic habitat classification. The results of this study revealed low degree of terrain complexity as results of habitat degradation and dominant benthic class of sand. Classification of reef benthic habitat resulted in five classes, namely sand (Sd= 126.65 ha), seagrass (Sg= 35.29 ha), bare rubble (Rb= 32.68 ha), reefs dominated by dead corals (DC=3.16 ha) and dead coral with algae (DA= 20.50 ha); with 67.21% score of overall accuracy (OA). In situ rugosity at 5 m was higher than 3 m, as result of higher coverage of live corals particularly in the east site. Similar profile was shown for rugosity index, which reflects ratio between surface to planar area and seafloor gradient along the reef slope. Finally, positive correlation between reef surface and in situ rugosity implies the importance of live coral communities in supporting complex terrain and benthic habitat in the patch reef environment.

Sharks checking in to the sponge hotel: First internal use of sponges of the genus Agelas and family Irciniidae by banded sand catsharks Atelomycterus fasciatus.

Trawl surveys within and surrounding two northwestern Australian marine parks revealed banded sand catsharks Atelomycterus fasciatus (family Atelomycteridae) taking refuge within large sponges of the family Irciniidae (Demospongiae: Dictyoceratida) and the genus Agelas (Demospongiae: Agelasida: Agelasidae). Five sponges contained a total of 57 A. fasciatus, comprising both sexes and both immature and mature individuals ranging from 102 to 390 mm total length (TL). In the same surveys, only five A. fasciatus were captured unassociated with sponges, suggesting that sponges are an important microhabitat for A. fasciatus and may provide a daytime refuge from predators. A southerly range extension is also reported for this species.

Penerapan Data Mining Dalam Mengelompokkan Kunjungan Wisatawan Mancanegara Di Prov. Sulawesi Selatan Dengan K-Means Dan SVM

Indonesia's exchange rate can rise due to foreign tourist visits, which can also benefit the local economy. The provincial capital. South Sulawesi is Makassar which is one of the locations for tourist visits. There are 11 main tourist attractions in Prov. South Sulawesi according to sulselprov 1) Maritime Tourism, 2) Losari Beach, 3) Rotterdam Fort, 4) Somba opu Fort, 5) Takabonerate Marine Park, 6) Bantimurung National Park, 7) Malino, 8) Tanjung Bira Beach, 9) Kesu Tourism, 10) Londa Tourism, 11) Pallawa Tourism. The purpose of this study is to analyze the application of data mining in classifying the number of foreign tourists visiting the prefecture. South Sulawesi uses k-means. The data used comes from BPS Prov. South Sulawesi. The data is grouped into two clusters. That is, the most tourists as C1 with results from Malaysia, and low tourist arrivals as C0 with results from Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, India, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia, USA, UK, Netherlands, Germany, France, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Pearl of the Persian Gulf, and Switzerland then I use and process this data again with SVM to look for precision, precision and recall values and get 100.00% accuracy in the RapidMiner application.

A new spatial estimation model and source apportionment of aliphatic hydrocarbons in coastal surface sediments of the Nayband Bay, Persian Gulf

Hydrocarbons, originating from oil and gas industries, are considered a potential risk for Nayband Bay, a natural marine park with extended mangroves, located on the north coastlines of the Persian Gulf, Iran. This paper determines the potential sources and spatial distribution of hydrocarbons, especially aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHCs), in Nayband Bay through the simultaneous application of three indices in the coastline surface sediments. To this end, a field study was conducted in the inter-tidal coastal zones and wetlands. Sediment samples were taken from surface layers along four transects with four sampling points at different distances from the gulf. The hydrocarbon compounds of the samples including AHCs, total petroleum hydrocarbons, and heavy metals (Ni, V as crude oil indicators) were analyzed and classified to discover the pollution indicators. Pearson pairwise correlation and cluster analyses along with pollution indices were employed to describe the spatial distribution pattern of hydrocarbons, identify hot spots, and determine the potential origin of AHCs. Different interpolation scenarios based on topographic and oceanic features were proposed to detect the spatial dynamics of AHCs. The results revealed that hydrocarbons mainly originated from anthropogenic sources including oil and gas industries located far from the affected area. It was also concluded that the long-distance pollution transfer was based on oceanic currents and wind direction in the bay. The proposed scenarios showed that the mean concentration values of total organic carbon and total organic material vary in the range 0.19 ppm to 0.4 ppm and 2.88 ppm to 3.20 ppm, respectively.

Calcareous sponges (Porifera, Calcarea) from the Northeastern Brazilian coast: integrative taxonomy and support for the creation of a marine park

Calcareous sponges (Porifera, Calcarea) from the Northeastern Brazilian coast: integrative taxonomy and support for the creation of a marine park

Physical, biological and anthropogenic drivers of spatial patterns of coral reef fish assemblages at regional and local scales

Species abundance, diversity and community assemblage structure are determined by multiple physical, habitat and management drivers that operate across multiple spatial scales. Here we used a multi-scale coral reef monitoring dataset to examine regional and local differences in the abundance, species richness and composition of fish assemblages in no-take marine reserve (NTMR) and fished zones at four island groups in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia. We applied boosted regression trees to quantify the influence of 20 potential drivers on the coral reef fish assemblages. Reefs in two locations, Magnetic Island and the Keppel Islands, had distinctive fish assemblages and low species richness, while the Palm and Whitsunday Islands had similar species composition and higher species richness. Overall, our analyses identified several important physical (temperature, wave exposure) and biological (coral, turf, macroalgal and unconsolidated substratum cover) drivers of inshore reef fish communities, some of which are being altered by human activities. Of these, sea surface temperature (SST) was more influential at large scales, while wave exposure was important both within and between island groups. Species richness declined with increasing macroalgal cover and exposure to cyclones, and increased with SST. Species composition was most strongly influenced by mean SST and percent cover of macroalgae. There was substantial regional variation in the local drivers of spatial patterns. Although NTMR zoning influenced total fish density in some regions, it had negligible effects on fish species richness, composition and trophic structure because of the relatively small number of species targeted by the fishery. These findings show that inshore reef fishes are directly influenced by disturbances typical of the nearshore Great Barrier Reef, highlighting the need to complement global action on climate change with more targeted localised efforts to maintain or improve the condition of coral reef habitats.

ON-REEF CYCLONIC WAVE CLIMATE THROUGHOUT THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

The Great Barrier Reef is an iconic ecosystem that is collapsing under low lagoon water quality from terrestrial runoff and resulting overly productive crown-of-thorns starfish, coral bleaching from thermal stress and physical destruction from tropical cyclones, to name the top four stresses. This collapsing is mostly seen in coral coverage declining over time from water quality and starfish stresses combined with episodic large scale drops from thermal stress and tropical cyclones. Action on improved land use would decrease the impact from water quality and starfish and action on climate change would reduce thermal stresses and hence, the frequency of bleaching events. Tropical cyclone impacts, while they may be getting more intense or larger under climate change, their destructive power is significant either way (i.e., before and after climate changes). These stresses have led to the administrative body, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, to shift from passive management to active interventions, which are generally extremely costly compared to the income generated by the Great Barrier Reef. Consequently, to ensure the limited resources are deployed to obtained maximum benefit, interventions are being tested across all stresses including cyclonic stresses. This requires fine scale determination of cyclonic wave climates across the entire Great Barrier Reef.

Marine Habitat Mapping using Multibeam Echosounder Survey and Underwater Video Observations: A Case Study from Tioman Marine Park

In recent years, there has been an increasing trend of utilizing high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) datasets and supervised classification via machine learning to create marine habitat maps. The purpose of current study was threefold: (1) to extract bathymetric and backscatter derivatives from a multibeam dataset, (2) to measure the correlation between bathymetric and backscatter derivatives, and (3) to generate a marine habitat map using the Random Forest (RF). Tioman Marine Park (TMP), which is situated Southeast China Sea. MBES surveyed area are encompassed an area of 406 km² and served as the location for the study. Based on results and analysis, fourteen (14) derivative were derived from bathymetry map and backscatter mosaic. The second step involved integrating variables and a total of 152 of habitat ground-truth data were used, derived from underwater imageries, and sediment samples, into an RF model to generate a map of the marine habitat. Based on marine habitat map, six habitat classes including sand, rock, gravel and sand, coral rubble, coral and rock, and coral were classified. The distribution of coral habitat was found to be correlated with the depth of the bathymetry in the shallow water region. Therefore, the study has reached the conclusion that the integration between MBES derivatives, ground-truth data, and RF machine learning algorithm is an effective in classifying the distribution of marine habitats, specifically the coral habitat.

STUDY ON THE NEXUS OF CSR AND SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT ON TOURIST DESTINATION LOYALTY IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT NATURE-BASED TOURISM

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and destination brand loyalty and social media engagement, which is not well understood. This particularly occurs in the sustainable development context of nature-based tourism in managing the negative impact on the environment, which is rather challenging. Moreover, the current research aims to develop a simple model for investigating the interrelationship of CSR as well as destination loyalty by incorporating social media engagement as a moderating variable. This is to investigate the impact mechanism of CSR activities of tourists towards tourists' destination brand loyalty in the context of nature-based tourism. The data for this study were obtained from 285 tourists who visited a popular marine park site in Malaysia. The researchers used the partial least squares structural equation modeling technique to analyze the collected data. The findings revealed that both CSR and social media engagement had an impact on destination brand loyalty. These findings have important implications for destination operators, suggesting that incorporating CSR activities into their strategies can be a strategic approach for achieving sustainable success.

Improving Marine Megafauna Knowledge with eDNA: A French Story

In the current context of large-scale biodiversity loss (Díaz et al. 2019), it is urgent to carry out biodiversity inventories in order to investigate spatial and temporal variations. Among the available methods, environmental DNA (eDNA) (Taberlet et al. 2018) combined with molecular metabarcoding (Valentini et al. 2009) bring new insights in drafting inventories of taxa present in an environment. Approaches based on eDNA facilitate the study of remote ecosystems and the detection of rare, cryptic or invasive species in a non-invasive way (Bohmann et al. 2014). In the marine realm, the study of mobile fauna, including mammals particularly, can greatly benefit from these new techniques. Here, we present a case study carried out in the northeast and northwest Atlantic, within the boundaries of marine protected areas. The Iroise Natural Marine Park*1 was the first French marine natural park created in France in 2007 (Fig. 1). The first campaign in the Iroise Natural Marine Park successfully detected several species of cetacean (e.g., Lagenorhynchus albirostris, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) and four species of elasmobranchs (e.g., Scyliorhinus canicula, Torpedo marmorata, Raja undulata and Mustelus asterias). This study was extended to the Martinique Natural Marine Park*2, where similar analyses identified three cetacean species (Stenella attenuata, Lagenodelphis hosei and Tursiops truncatus) and 193 teleost taxa (Riou 2022), representing more than half of the species expected in Martinique. The analyses carried out in Martinique highlighted several remarkable sites for fish biodiversity. In Guadeloupe, in the heart of the Agoa Marine Mammals Sanctuary*3 (corresponding to the French Antilles exclusive economic zone), the taxonomic composition of different eDNA samples made in 2021 and 2022 was compared. The samples were analyzed using different primer sets, specific to vertebrates, teleosts and mammals. Comparison of the results obtained with vertebrate-specific primers and those specific to teleosts showed complementary results. For cetaceans, the analyses distinguished ten distinct cetacean taxonomic units and at least 3 distinct species from four samples. In addition, the eDNA samples were used to discriminate between the two recently recognised bottlenose dolphin ecotypes, based on the observation of a fixed nucleotide difference on the barcode targeted by the mammal-specific primers. New primers are currently being developed to make it easier to distinguish species of Delphinidae, which are still complex to identify. Environmental DNA and metabarcoding offer new possibilities for the inventories of marine megafauna and support adequate conservation decision-making processes. It is a major step towards better monitoring of marine mammal populations of the Atlantic Ocean. Moreover, our datasets will be freely available through open platforms following the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles.

Modelling marine microplastics accumulation zones through freshwater discharge sources: Simulated release from the Onkaparinga River and Torrens River, South Australia

Plastic pollution is fast becoming one of the most prominent contamination issues facing the marine environment. Microplastics are a major subset of plastic waste now present in all global oceans, with their numbers standing only to increase. This study applies a coupled hydrodynamic model and Lagrangian particle-tracking model to predict and simulate microplastic transport in South Australian waters. Virtual particles representing microplastics were released daily for 365 days from two major freshwater input sources along the coastline of Adelaide, Australia. These particles entered the Gulf St Vincent and were tracked over two model years using LTRANS software. The model identified general gulf circulation as circular, clockwise, with net southward particle transport from particle release sites. A potential accumulation zone associated with a local eddy was identified. Concentrations of particles that passed through local marine parks were also calculated in response to the potential concerns they pose in vulnerable protected areas.