Are Marine Protection Areas Beneficial to the Philippines

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Are Marine Protection Areas Beneficial to the
Philippines?
Michael Newman, Ryan Norman, Jamie OMalley
Source earthobservatory.nasa.gov/.../coral_reef.j
pg
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Coral Reefs

• What is a coral reef?
• Where do you find coral reefs?
• How do humans interact with coral reefs?

Source www.nemoclub.ru/img/Diver20in20Coral20R
eef.jpg
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Introduction

• Objectives
• To explore if Marine Protection Areas are
  beneficial to coral reefs in the Philippines.
• Hypothesis
• If the Republic of the Philippines uses Marine
  Protection Areas (MPAs), then the overall health
  of coral reefs will be improved and the economic
  health of the Philippines will be improved as
  well.

www.cnn.com/.../map.philippines.jolo.gif
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(White 2005)
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Marine Protection Areas
Source (White 2005)
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Overfishing

• Negative effects
• Removal of predatory fishes has accelerated
  bioerosion of corals by the invertebrates that
  these fishes formerly held in check (U.S. Dept.
  of State 1998).

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Variables and Assumptions

• Two Variables
• Indicator of coral reef health
• Fish density
• Fish biomass
• Live coral cover
• Economic measure of the Philippines
• Agricultural GDP

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Research

• Left columns mean number
• Right columns mean biomass

(Source) (Christie 2002)
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Research
Density of fusiliers (F. Caesionidae) in the
Sumilon reserve from 1983 to 1993.

• Sumilion reserve (1983 1993)

(Russ, Alcala 1999)
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Research
(Christie 2002)

• Increase in coral cover in marine protected areas
  near Balicasag Island

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Research

• Decreases due to lower revenues from protected
  areas.

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Conclusion

• Proved that coral reef health is improving in
  MPAs
• Fish density increases during no-take times
• Fish biomass increases during no-take times
• Live coral cover has increased
• No correlation found between fishing income and
  coral reef health in MPAs

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Resources

• Christie, P., White, A.T., and E. Deguit. 2002.
  Starting point or solution? Community-based
  marine protected areas in the Philippines,
  Journal of Environment Management, 66 441-454.
• Russ, G.R., and A.C. Alcala. 1999. Management
  histories of Sumilion and Apo Reserves,
  Philippines, and their influence on national
  marine resource policy. Coral Reefs, 18 307-319.
• White, A.T., Eisma-Osorio, R.L., and S. Green.
  2005. Integrated coastal management and marine
  protected areas Complementarity in the
  Philippines. Ocean Coastal Management, 48
  948-971.