14 DAY TRIAL // According to the conclusions of a new study by researchers at the WCS and the University of Queensland, the health of coral reefs off the coasts of Fiji may very well depend on conservation efforts dedicated to preserving forests upstream. These woods were found to influence reef status significantly.
The role that land ecosystems play in promoting coral reef health has largely remained unexplored, apart from the occasional incursion in the effects of agricultural runoffs on the tiny marine creatures. Details of the new investigation were published in the latest online issue of the journal Marine Policy.
Fiji will soon become the first country in the world to take this connection into account when designing and designating protected areas. This is all the more interesting since the small island nation has a tradition of creating conservation areas based on wood value, not a need to protect biodiversity.
Fiji's “decision to take action and link land to sea conservation helps to ensure the long term security of their globally important coral reef ecosystems while supporting the livelihoods and resilience of coastal communities,” says the director of the Marine Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society, Dr. Caleb McClennen.