What Can Be Done?

The ultimate solution to protect coral reefs would be to target the source of global climate change, i.e. reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through reduced fossil fuel burning and increasing reforestation. The extent and rate of such changes are governed by complex political and socio-economic drivers and are unpredictable.

Photo by Mary Wakeford, AIMS

Continued research into the causes and consequences of global climate change is important. Accurate predictions of the geographic patterns and rates of change, and the best ways to respond to them, must be available to governments and the community. Sharing scientific resources is particularly important in addressing this global issue. Much research effort is also being focused on understanding the capacity of corals to adapt to warmer waters .

In the short-term, we must maintain coral reefs in the best possible condition. Reefs that are already stressed by environmental factors, such as poor water quality or overfishing, will be more vulnerable to changes in sea temperature. Recent research by Queensland Department of Primary Industry has focussed on understanding the capacity of seagrasses to thermal stress and has found that some species appear more resilient to high seawater temperatures than others. Not surprisingly those seagrass species restricted to tropical waters are more tolerant than those found also in sub-tropical and temperate waters. Seagrass ecosystems that are already stressed by environmental factors, such as poor water quality, will be more vulnerable to changes in sea temperature. Conservative use of resources and liberal application of strategies to protect biological diversity, productivity and resilience are needed.

For human enterprises, such as tourism and fishing, surviving and thriving in the 21st Century means:

• working with scientists to determine the implications for different industries of projections of future environmental trends;
• implementing best practices to protect the biological diversity, productivity and ecosystem processes that underpin their industries; and
• working in the broader society to influence land-use, energy and population policies that may impact on their enterprises directly and through ecosystems.

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