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Darwin Initiative to Strengthen the World’s Largest Marine Protected Area, Chagos Archipelago, British Indian Ocean Territory John Turner, School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University & Trustee, Chagos Conservation Trust CIEEM UKOTS 2016 This talk will cover: DEFRA funded research project British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Chagos is an example of a very large MPA and an internationally important refuge How it aims to increase strict protection of multiple ocean ecosystems Importance as Reference Site because its coral reefs have proven to be resilient to climate change due to the absence of direct human impact Science to underpin management – some preliminary findings from recent expeditions Challenges in managing and enforcing a VLMPA Collaborative project to protect marine biodiversity of the Chagos Archipelago, funded by DEFRA’s Darwin Initiative School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University (SOS) University of Warwick Zoological Society of London (ZSL) British Indian Ocean Territory Section, Foreign & Commonwealth Office (BIOT) International Collaboration Project leader & grant holder Prof. John Turner, Bangor University UK, PI Co-Investigators Prof. Charles Sheppard OBE, University of Warwick UK; Ass Prof. Heather Koldewey, Zoological Society of London, UK Scientific expeditions team: Prof. Morgan Pratchett, James Cook University, Coral Reef Centre of Excellence Australia Prof Andrew Price, University of York, UK Prof Chris Perry, University of Exeter, UK Dr Nick Graham, James Cook Australia, Australia Dr Shaun Wilson, James Cook University, Australia Dr Daniel Wagner, NOAA, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, USA Dr Michelle Gaither, NOAA, California Academy of Sciences, USA Dr Melita Samoilys, CORDIO, Kenya, Africa Dr Courtney Couch, NOAA, University of Hawaii, USA Dr Douglas Fenner, American Samoa, USA Dr Ronan Roche, Bangor University, UK Dr Elizabeth Widman, Warwick University, UK Anne Sheppard, University of Warwick Peter Carr, Zoological Society of London,UK David Curnick, University College of London Catherine Head, Oxford University, UK Gary Murphy University of Exeter, UK Non scientific expeditions team Dr Jon Bailey, Medical Officer and Diving Officer, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK John Slayer, Logistics and communications, UK Sophie Morgan, BBC Oceans, UK Gary Fletcher, Zoological Society of London, UK Jason Davies, USA: Diving support Yannick Mandarin, Luis Elyse, Claudia: Chagossian Darwin Bursary Fellows Outreach Programme Officers (ZSL with Kew, RSPB..) Audrey Blancart Rebecca Short & Kirsty Richards Rudi Pothin & Xavier Hamon (Sey/Maur/Chagossian) Project support : Rebecca Short & Kirsty Richards, ZSL, UK John Slayer (ex Royal Marines), UK/South Africa Helen Lee (Singapore) Captains & Crews MV Pacific Marlin, Swire Pacific Foreign & Commonweath Office BIOT Adminstration John McManus & Tom Moody Rupert Compston Michelle Moat & Richard Seedhouse World’s largest MPAs (> 100,000 km2) Aug 2016: 1,508,870km2 Chagos Archipelago BIOT 640,00 km2 – Status? VLMPA: MR-NT vs Multi–zone? The Chagos Protected Area is a PEW Global Ocean Legacy Strict Marine Reserve Chagos is one of 14‘Big Ocean Network’ MPAs with a shared Research Agenda BON protects >8 million km2 ocean http://www.bigoceanmanagers.org/ VLMPAs in remote UKOTs – are we on the wrong track? • Race for ‘World’s Largest’ – distraction. • Undermine aims of Aichi 10% MPA target coverage - 6000 MPAs total 3.27% but 24 are VLMPAs. • Detract from MPA initiatives in intensely used areas. • Criticisms of effectiveness (hard to enforce) representativeness, (high productivity & relatively unexploited); potential connectivity (remote), equitable management (benefits not shared). • Cost per area comparatively low. • Easy win? (eg Jones & De Santo (2016), Marine policy 73) Salomon atoll, Chagos Archipelago Creation of one of the world’s greatest natural conservation areas 2007-2010 2007-2009: Proposal developed by Chagos Environment Network (CEN) 10th November 2009 – 12th February 2010: Public Consultation 1st April 2010: UK Government declared the British Indian Ocean Territory a no-take marine protected area 1st November 2010: all commercial fishing within 200 nm Blue Marine Foundation and Bertarelli Foundation donated £3.5 m to pay for patrol vessel in absence of tuna fishery licences Chagos Environment Preservation and Protection Zone (EPPZ) (640,000 km2) Bathymetry of t(BIOT) Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Source data from the General Bathymetric Chart of the Ocean (GEBCO) 2008 edition. (Tetley & Turner)) Ecosystem Based Management is envisaged for islands, reefs, banks, seamounts, and deep sea environments; pelagic environments are a major challenge 3D image of Chagos Archipelago (GEBCO/SOC) 86 seamounts and 243 knolls (Yesson et al. 2011) 60,000km2 banks & reefs (Sheppard et al. 2012). Area large, remote, mostly subtidal and little explored Internationally important refuge: 76 Threatened species Internationally important refuge Reefs and fish communities are largely intact and functional ~ ‘pristine ?’ 1. . Sheppard and 40 others. 2012. Reefs and islands of the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean: why it is the world’s largest no-take marine protected area. Aquatic Conservation: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. 22: 232–261 Chapters 17-21 in Sheppard (ed.), Coral Reefs of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories, Coral Reefs of the World 4, 253. Springer Science Despite sea warming events and coral bleaching mortality Reynolds o1.v2 KNMI climate Explorer (Tisdale Word Press) NOAA Sea Surface temperature anomalies have caused incidences of coral bleaching and mortality in Chagos in 1997, 2010, 2015?, 2016? Chagos reefs apparently resilient Sheppard et al (2012). Aquatic Conservation: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. 22: 232–261 Sheppard et al (2013). Ch 18. Coral Reefs of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories, Coral Reefs of the World 4. Springer Science Chagos is an important Reference or Control site Assess impact of climate change in the absence of local anthropogenic impacts Natural impacts exist : Crown of Thornes Starfish (COTs) Acanthaster planci Density up to 1624 km-2 at Danger Island in 2013 Roche et al (2015) Mar Biol. 162 Impact of COTS, Danger Island lagoon, March 2013 Chagos reef fish biomass >6 x higher than other Western Indian Ocean Sites and MPAs C Graham & McClanahan (2013) BioScience 63:397-402 Licensed Indian Ocean tuna fishery in BIOT waters (to 2009) Long line fishery: ~40 Taiwanese & Japanese vessels, operated all year round 371-1,366 t tuna annually Purse Seine fishery: ~55 vessels, Spanish & French, 1000-24,000 t annually Koldewey et al. (2010) Mar. Pollut. Bull. 60, 1906–1915. Dunne et al (2014). Adv. In Mar Biol. 69, 79-127. Tuna fishery bycatch 60,000 sharks (1/2 blue sharks) and 60,000 rays caught legally in 5 yrs preceding MPA by long liners fishing for tuna in Chagos waters Koldewey et al. (2010) Mar. Pollut. Bull. 60, 1906–1915. Sharks are in decline (diver observations indicate 76% reduction in 37 years) Graham et al (2010) Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20: 543–548. IUU: Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Sri Lankan boats take sharks, fish, turtles, sea cucumbers. Deploy satellite tracked FADs, in past have established island camps of fishers. No. boats unknown: 40-60 per year? Price et al (2010). Aquat. Conserv.: Mar. Freshwat. Ecosyst. 20, 117-126. Not everyone supported creation of the MPA 90% Support: Leading NGOs (IUCN, ZSL, Greenpeace, FFI) and 270,000 people from 200 nations supported a Chagos No Take protected area And opposition from: Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, Marine Education Trust (incl some academics), African Union, Chagossian Support Association. Chagos Refugees Group sought a Judicial Review http://springtimeofnations.blogspot.co.uk Major Issues 1.Chagossians: Foreclose on resettlement, fishing, economic activity; Chagossians inadequately consulted 2. Mauritius: Sovereignty claim to EEZ of Chagos; no consultation, Maldives also disputes EPPZ 3. Poor public knowledge: Of BIOT UKOT, biodiversity, suspicion of USA-UK military lateral agreements, concerns over pollution from US Prepositioning ships 4. Too large an area: To manage and enforce; loss of income from fishery licences, & displacement of fishing activity; concessionary recreational fishery on Diego Garcia Darwin project aim To strengthen the Chagos MPA by providing scientific knowledge for effective management, and to develop a strategy that engages the support of stakeholders through outreach, education and engagement Legacy: sound management and increased value of what was the world’s largest no-take Marine Protected Area and a unique and globally important reference site Objectives & Outputs 1: Monitoring & Research To create a permanent monitoring strategy for coral reefs and island systems to establish condition on commencement of protection against which the magnitude and significance of change/impact can be assessed Achieved by 3 ship-based expeditions undertaking 17 subprojects to assess biodiversity and productivity at 34 reef sites and ~50 islands on 6 atolls (including 10 IBAs Important Bird Areas). Impact: Data feeding into international databases and scientific findings have helped shape FCO BIOT’s Interim Chagos Management Plan; Inform consultations on the Feasibility of Resettlement, & FCO BIOT Policy Review on Resettlement, and to address conservation questions from the Chagos All Party Parliamentary Group, Westminster. Currently developing 12 BAPs for Chagos species. Objectives & Outputs 2: To engage Chagossians through‘Connect Chagos’ outreach programme Activities aimed at different generations to raise awareness of value of biodiversity and importance of conservation. 13 community meetings in UK and Mauritius; 5 family days (965 Chagossians (~50% of population); 42 ‘Chagossian Ambassador’ graduates from Environmental Training courses; 12 received advanced training in swimming, SCUBA diving, habitat restoration; and 5 awarded places on scientific expeditions Chagossian representation at Big Ocean Network Meeting, Hawai’i 2016 (Claudia Narani) Multi partner collaboration Objectives & Outputs 3: To highlight the significance of Chagos Marine Reserve internationally as a major step in conserving marine ecosystems Achieved through organisation of 3 Chagos Conservation conferences; 21 international conference presentations (including keynote at International Marine Conservation Congress); 17 publications; 6 MSc/ 4 PhD; 3 expedition reports; 7 expedition blogs; 15 news items; 4 films (inc. Blue Ocean Film Festival Monaco Finalist) ; 150 biodiversity videoclips; 57 quadcopter aerial videos, 1 London Zoo aquarium exhibit; planned BBC Oceans production, Support of Google Catlin Seaview initiative Google Catlin Seaview http://www.catlin.com Quadcopter images used in publicity Octopus film Finalist MONACO London Zoo Chagos Exhibit Development of the Chagos Information Portal (ChIP) http://www.cct-chip.org/ Home Resources Projects and Funders register login ChIP CHAGOS INFORMATION PORTAL • • • • • • • Datasets Image and Video Gallery Publications Expeditions Coralpedia Contribute to database Fund a ChIP project Being expanded through John Ellerman Foundation Grant Science in the UK Overseas Territories: Status and opportunities Dr Heather Koldewey Head of Marine & Freshwater Zoological Society of London Honorary Associate Professor University of Exeter Cornwall campus [email protected] @heatherkoldewey A Royal Briefing July 2016 Chagos conservation initiative was selected by the UK Collaborative on Development Sciences UKCDS (a Grouping of 14 UK government departments and research funders), as ‘one of the most important elements for international development emanating from the UK’, appearing in the top 20 of Research Excellence Framework impact case studies 2014 http://www.ukcds.org.uk/the-global-impact-of-ukresearch Establish expertise & onsite infrastructure MV Pacific Marlin with container laboratory mounted on upper deck, Feb 2013 3 Chagos Scientific Expeditions 2013 • • • • • • • • juvenile coral settlement, and seawater temperature monitoring. Video monitoring of benthic life forms on permanent transects and establishment of a video archive. Coral reef cryptofauna and coral growth studies. Macroalgae, sponges and back corals. Biogeography of fishes Reef structure: rugosity and erosion by parrotfish Seabird and island vegetation monitoring Development of instrumentation for pelagic fish monitoring. 2014 • • • • • Video monitoring of benthic life forms on permanent transects Functional diversity assessments Coral disease Sea temperature monitoring Potential fisher targets: lagoon grouper, parrotfish, sea cucumber, giant clams and coconut crab assessments Scientific Expeditions 2015 • • • • • • Carbonate production and accretion rates Coral growth assessments Collection and processing of ARMs Seaward reef fish biomass Vegetation mapping for island flora and fauna rehabilitation Sea temperature monitoring Benthic community monitoring: Corals (Turner, Sheppard, Cox, Fenner, Roach, Widman) Video archive data: 2006, 2013, 2014, 2015 +2016 Analysis in Corel Point (CPCe) software Chagos coral reef community High coral cover reduces with depth. Soft coral and algae increase with depth Seaward community 5-10 m 10-15 m 15-20 m 20-25 m Lagoon community 5-10 m 10-15 m 15-20 m 20-25 m Coral cover highest in northern atolls Blenheim Peros Banhos Ile Poule: 57.8 % coral cover North Egmont: 18.8 % coral cover Mean percentage hard coral cover Temporal change in coral cover 2006 - 2015 60% * * 50% * 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 5-10 10-15 15-20 Depth (m) 2006 (All sites) 2015 (All sites) 2014 20-25 l Tabular Acropora dominated shallow reef before 2013 Mortality of Acropora table corals in shallow depths evident in 2013: Senescence or disease? 50% 25% 10 30% 8 6 20% 4 10% 2 0% 0 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-25 Depth (m) Live Coral Dead Coral Live Coral / Dead Coral 20% Mean percentage cover 40% Live Coral / Dead Coral Mean percentage cover 12 Dead table corals 15% 10% 5% 0% 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-25 Depth (m) Dead Standing Table Coral Dead Table Coral Other Dead Standing Coral Rubble Many Acropora tables have reached maximum size having settled after 1997/8 ENSO l Many Acropora tables collapsed by 2015 to be washed down reef in storms Nelson island, Great Chagos Bank l Diseased coral first observed in 2014 (~5%) Acropora White Syndrome Courtney Cox, University of Hawai’i Causative Agent usually Vibrio spp. Progression Rates: up to 01146cm2/wk Tabular Acropora most susceptible: Widespread across Indo-Pacific Healthy Tissue Recently dead Old dead skeleton (covered by algae) Corals tagged 2014-2015 Lesion margin (active tissue loss) Analysis of archival video shows that Acropora White Syndrome is more visible in 2015 than it was in 2014 or 2006, but varies across archipelago 2006 2014 2015 But the capacity for recovery has been good March 21 2014 March 17, 2015 Following tagged colonies Long Term trends suggest resilience Sheppard et al (2012). Aquatic Conservation: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. 22: 232–261 Most Chagos reefs have +ve carbonate budgets Mean +3.7G Range -5 to +9.8G 25/28 +ve 8 >+5 G Most severely impacted in 1997average +8.4G by 2015 Perry et al. (2015) www.nature.comm Scientific Reports 5. 18289 Major thermal stress in 2015 & 2016 but the extent of mortality unknown T-logger Feb 2006 David Tickler Jan 2010 March 2015 Reef fish: Groupers (Samoilys & Koldewey, 2014) Epinephelus polyphekadion More common cf other WIO sites probably reflecting natural population abundance ~1m Plectropomus laevis reaches maximum size suggests lack of fishing pressure Birds, rats & vegetation (Carr et al. 2013-14) Is ‘very large’ large enough or just too big? Original Strict Nature Reserves in northern atolls Peros Banhos A pre 2010 proposal to expand protected areas to conserve 30% Salomon Great Chagos Bank Sheppard & Turner (2008) Diego Garcia controversially ‘outside’ MPA due to military facility but has extensive protected areas Zoned protected areas Ramsar site Military Facility Naval Mooring zone Strict MPA is beyond 3 km from shore Nature Reserve Connectivity increasingly recognised Gaither, Bowen Cephalopholis argus (Gaither et al 2011) Similarity coefficients of corals & fishes (Sheppard et al 2013) Acanthaster planci (Vogler et al , 2008) Tracking turtles (Hayes, Mortimer, Esteban - Darwin) Cha Movements of 8 adult female green turtles from their nesting beach on Diego Garcia Hayes et al. 2014. Use of Long-Distance Migration Patterns of an Endangered Species to Inform Conservation Planning for the World’s Largest Marine Protected Area. Conservation Biology Great Chagos Bank Tuna migration / fleet movement Western Indian Ocean purse seine tuna fishery MRAG Ltd (2010) Scientific challenges: pelagic and deep water studies Tom Letessier (talk later today) Bertarelli Foundation Geneva Workshop (Oct 2013): NERC Oceanography workshop (March 2014) Bertarelli ZSL-UCL/UWA//Stanford expeditions 2012/2015/2016 Need to scale up science, management & enforcement Strict Nature Reserves in northern atolls Managed by British Indian Ocean Territory Section of Foreign & Commonwealth Office London Chief Scientific Advisor & Environment Officer Scientific Advisory Panel ‘Interim’ Management Plan (Sept 2014) Significant funding from Bertarelli Foundation Is Chagos Marine Reserve too large to enforce? 24th March 2013 Patrol ship MV Pacific Marlin 640,000km2 to patrol ! 8 Sri Lankan vessels observed by Greenpeace MY Esperanza + helicopter + Brit Ops + Chagossian Heritage visits + Science expeditions http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Glo bal/international/briefings/oceans/2013/Gree npeace-IUU-report-2013-Chagos-EEZ.pdf www.liguid-robotics.com Recent Challenges to MPA Judicial Review, High Court Aug 2010 - April 2013 on legality of MPA by Chagos Refugees Group: Deemed Inadmissable. A Forward Look: Chagos 20/20 Arbitral Tribunal under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea ruled (March 2015) that the Marine Protected Area declared by the UK is not compatible with obligations under the Convention to give proper regard to the rights of Mauritius and is therefore not lawful. The UK must cede Chagos to Mauritius when the archipelago is no longer required for defence purposes. Feasibility study for resettlement 2014/2015 found no fundamental legal obstacles to resettlement. Awaiting Government decision following further consultation. Supreme Court Appeal Bancoult vs Sec State Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs June 2015: Deemed Inadmissable. 1966 Exchange of Notes between the UK and the USA: a decision on whether to extend the arrangement for a further 20 years must be made by 31 December 2016 BIOT need to secure enforcement capability for the future No easy win then? [email protected] School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University (SOS) University of Warwick Zoological Society of London (ZSL) British Indian Ocean Territory Section, Foreign & Commonwealth Office (BIOT)