Download Ecosystem Assessment

An ecosystem is a system involving the interactions between a community of living organisms in a
particular area and its non-living environment. The complex interactions between the biotic (nonliving) and biological environment involves the four spheres which are all interrelated and also
interdependent on each other.
Biosphere
Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Hydrosphere
An example of this is the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) the coral reef covers 0.17% of the ocean floor,
which is also a habitat of 25% of all marine species. If sea levels start to rise then it will cause natural
stress towards the ecosystem. Coral only grows in shallow waters and due to the increasing water
levels, it will eventually die out. Also all the marine species will find it difficult to adapt to changes,
creating a reduction in the number of species living within the environment. Therefore changes in
any of the elements will move the state of dynamic equilibrium ( state where equilibrium is reached
with constantly changing inputs and outputs to the ecosystem). Disturbance to the flow of air,
energy, water and nutrients are returned to equilibrium, this reduction is determined by their
resilience.
To ensure that there is an equilibrium balance to uphold the ecosystem to its full capacity there are
management strategies. There is no-one successful management strategy, success is often judged by
ecologically sustainability (capacity of ecosystem to maintain their essential functions and processes
and retain their biodiversity in full measures over a long- time.)
A management plan gives us a way of achieving specific goals. There are four different types of
management process towards an ecosystem.
1. Preservation – protecting the ecosystem in its natural form.
2. Conservation- the planned use of natural resources to minimise damage to the ecosystem.
3. Utilisation- replacing the ecosystem with a human made activity which is sustainable e.g.
commercial fishing.
4. Exploitation- the ecosystem is used no matter the ecological consequences.
These are the four objectives that can be taken upon an ecosystem. The case study of the GBR is an
example of preservation and conservation. However the other case study Minnamurra National
Rainforest ( MNR) is more of the utilisation but there is come conservation as well.
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF ( case study)
Location- off the east coast of northern Queensland with a Latitude is 18'S
Longitude 146.5' E.
Spatial dimension- 2300 km long up to 250 km wide it covers an area of
348 700 km square.
The GBR is made up of 2900 individual reefs including 750 fringing reefs
attached to the mainland. Having biodiversity of 500 coral species and
approximately 2000 fish species. The reef is known for its unique range of
sea wildlife.
Impacts
There are two types of threats to the coastal coral reefs ecosystem,
human- induced and natural stress.
Human- induced
Fisheries
Tourism
Shipping
Pollution
Natural stress
Climate change
Sea levels change
Human- induced has far been the greatest impact on the GBR. The two major industries are the
fisheries industry and the tourism industry.
Fisheries
Fisheries are a major industry in the GBR region worth more than $400 million annually. It is the
largest harvesting industry activity in the World Heritage Area (WHA). There are three components
of fisheries industry.
1. Commercial –worth more than $400 million annually.
2. Recreational- more than 24 000 privately registered boats are in the GBR region.
3. Traditional- the impact of this form of fishing limited to areas adjacent to the indigenous
communities.
Disruption to food chains caused through unsustainable overfishing of key stone species (is an
important species upon which all other species rely for survival.) like coral trout and red emperor.
The Queensland government announced a draft Coral Finfish Management Plan in September 2002
and implementation in 2003. This includes reducing the annual commercial catch to 1996 levels. The
Queensland Government is also considering to introduce, a closed season for coral trout in an effort
to conserve the species and maintain the value of the reef. Only 4.6 % of the GBR World heritage
area Marine Park is protected from fishing.
Tourism
Tourism is also another major industry that impacts the GBR. There is an estimate of 2.4 million
visitors to GBR each year. The economic value of tourism is around $ 1.5 billion per year. The impact
of tourism varies according to the activities on the reef. Some popular activities are:
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Diving
Snorkelling
Reef walking
These facilities have affected the reef. Tourist can trample on the reef and remove corals and shells,
sewage from resorts is pumped into the ocean, damaging corals and encouraging the growth of
algae and sea grass. Boat anchoring can cause localised destruction to the reef. The government
have not implemented rules or regulations towards tourism. But GBR committee have come up with
strategies to try to educated tourist about how to protect the reef while they are visiting.
Management strategies
The four main reasons why any ecosystem is preserved is:
1. Intrinsic value- value of ecosystem is simply they exist and therefore they are valued.
2. Aesthetic value- appreciation of the beauty of the ecosystem brings satisfaction and
enjoinment to people.
3. Heritage value- can be defined as a sense of place which also helps give society its identity
and defines value.
4. Utility- helps bring economic value within the country. E.g. tourism.
All these four values, contribute to other management strategies that are put in place to preserve
the ecosystem. The Great Barrier Marine Park Act 1975 provides a framework for managing the GBR.
These plans of management are generally prepared for intensively used or particularly vulnerable
groups of reefs for the protection of species and communities. The Queensland Parks and Wildlife
service has responsibilities for the day-to-day management of the marine aprk and the heritage
area. The management strategies are:
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Resources protection program- issuing permits for camping, tourism operations as well as
installing public moorings and “no anchor” markers.
Park monitoring- identifying important areas, assessing threats, proposing possible
strategies.
Surveillance and enforcement- boat and aircraft patrols operate daily and cost more than
$1.7 million a year
Visitor education and services- information is presented on how to use the area in an
environmentally sustainable way.
Enforcing zoning laws
In 2002 Queensland Government successfully prosecuted several fishermen fishing in prohibited
areas. Widely publicised case was designed to send the message across to the public.
Currently only 4.6 % of the marine park and World heritage area are protected from commercial and
recreational fishing. 9.5% of the marine Park and trawling is permitting in 50% of the World Heritage
Area.
Minnamurra National Rainforest ( MNR) case study
Location- at the foot of the lllawarrra Escarpment, 15km
west of Kiama.
Description- MNR is a warm temperate and a subtropical
rainforest (the environment has more fertile soil and high
rainfall, with slightly fewer species.) and is part of the
5700 ha Budderoo National Park. It receives rainfall of
1600-1800 mm per annum, with average winter
temperate of 13.60 C and summer average 23.30 C.
There are over 90 different species of ferns and over 80
species of native tree, including the rare lllawarrra Fig
and Red Cedar.
There are four layers in a rainforest:
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The emergent layer e.g Cedar tree
The canopy e.g lllawarra fig
The understory e.g ummature trees
The forest floor e.g ferns, liches.
In each of these layers there are different species habitats. Some of these species rely on each other
e.g the strangler fig starts life as a tiny seed in the canopy, the roots gradually warp around the tree.
It is a parasite (that grows, feeds, off some other organism for its survival.)
Early Impacts and todays impacts
Early impacts of MNR began with logging and cutting down trees. These impacts were both negative
and positive impacts. The early impacts were negative with the removal of red Cedar timber creating
subtle changes to the ecosystem; however the more recent impacts have been to repair (or manage)
past impacts.
In 1945, Howard Judd took over reserve behalf of Kiama council. Added walking tracks with wooden
plank bridges constructed to cross the river and tributaries. By 1989 the National Park and Wildlife
Service of NSW took over the management. With large financial budget, the human impact has more
positive than negative:
1. Establishment of a visitor centre, aim to educate people about the site
2. Providing faculties e.g. toilets picnic grounds etc.
3. Series of more boardwalks
The negative impact of building boardwalk means that machinery and equipment were brought into
the rainforest. However the long term, impact is positive, it is protecting against the increasing
impact of visitors on track that walk around the track. The National Park and Wildlife Service (NPWS)
is also responsible for developing and maintaining the park and reserve the system.
Management
MNR is known as an “ecotourism “destination (the tourism of going somewhere just to see the
environment.) Due to the terrestrial environment of MNR, impact has to be done to achieve
management goals within the ecosystem. The management by the NPWS is initially aimed at
remedial works to restore the ecosystem to a point where it could be properly conserved. The
major factors have been the injections of the financial resources to enable works to be carried out to
protect the ecosystem. As seen in the impacts sections, many machinery and equipment had to
come in the rainforest, these extreme measures had to be taken aboard to achieve the goals such as
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Boardwalks
Car parks
Establishment of visitor centre
Toilets
Overall it is a positive outcome, however in the short term run is was a negative impact, but the
management strategies need to be constructed to preserve the ecosystem for the long term which
will create an lasting effect. The parks aim moved from recreational to educational aims. So visitors
were educated about the environment and the need for the conversation of the ecosystem. The
education program became more central to the park’s operation. As people become more aware of
the value of the ecosystem, attitudes towards it have changed. The logging has decreased from 25%
in 1980 to 2.5% 2002. This clearly indicates that the educational programs have changed the way
people think about MNR.
Overall management strategies are put in place for the success of the ecosystem, even though in
the short time run there has to be a large impact on the ecosystem to achieve the positive outcomes
in the long term.