Coral reefs and ocean preservation - “Enric Sala – Glimpses of a
pristine ocean” (video)

How are ‘present day’ coral reefs described?
Line Islands, Pacific Ocean – Prisitne Island
Time period/population numbers
1777 (Captain Cook’s sightings)
What were the Pristine Island
reefs like?
Huge abundance of fish and sharks
attacking boat
Present day – 5,100 people
2,500 people
20 people
Uninhabited
Make a sketch of the biomass pyramid that is shown
Where is the majority of the biomass?
In the Pristine Reef, the pyramid is inverted – top predators can make up to
_____% of the biomass within the ecosystem.
 ____________________ is a big threat to coral reefs – it is irrelevant
whether or not the reefs are ____________ because the increases in
ocean temperatures will kill the reefs regardless.
 E.g. El Nino 1997-8, many corals ____________ and died.
 However, the more intact/complete the ecosystem and food web is, the
higher the likelihood that the corals will ______________.
Medes Islands Marine Reserve, Spain
 Size – ________________________




Contribution to the local economy – ________________________ (which
is _____% more than the fishing industry)
Accounts for ______% of the tourism industry
Marine reserves (after 5-7 years) can change increase...
 Diversity of species by ____%
 Size of organisms by _____%
 Abundance of organisms by _____%
 Biomass of the ecosystem by _____%
 Why are these changes so drastic?

What happened in Kenya when the use of seine nets were banned?

What happened in Kenya when marine reserves were introduced?
Nassau groupers, USA
 If 30% of the aggregation is caught – income would be US $______ p.a.
 If the area is a protected area, (aggregation for ecotourism) income would
be $_________ p.a. based on _____ divers per month.




Target is to have ______% of the world’s oceans to be protected.
Currently subsidies to the fishing industry (that often uses destructive
methods) is US $______ billion p.a.
Cost to protect 20% of the oceans is US $______ billion p.a. and it would
create _____ million jobs.
Why might this be problematic?
Why are only 1% of the oceans
protected?

What are the solutions to improve
this %?
What is Enric Sala’s final thought/recommendation?
ANSWERS - Coral reefs and ocean preservation - “Enric Sala –
Glimpses of a pristine ocean” (video)
How are ‘present day’ coral reefs described?
Very few corals, algae grows on corals, lots of bacteria, large animals gone
Line Islands, Pacific Ocean – Prisitne Island
Time period/population numbers
What were the Pristine Island reefs
like?
1777 (Captain Cook’s sightings)
Huge abundance of fish and sharks
attacking boat
Present day – 5,100 people
Most of the reefs and corals are dead
and overgrown by algae. Fish no bigger
than pencil. 250 hours of diving, no
sharks seen.
2,500 people
Lots of small fish
20 people
Sharks present
Uninhabited
Healthy ecosystem, approx 25-50
sharks/dive
Biomass pyramid – most of the biomass is lower in the food chain:
In the Pristine Reef, the pyramid is inverted – top predators can make up to 85%
of the biomass within the ecosystem.
Global warming is a big threat to coral reefs – it is irrelevant whether or not the
reefs are protected because the increases in ocean temperatures will kill the reefs
regardless.
E.g. El Nino 1997-8, many corals bleached and died.
However, the more intact/complete the ecosystem and food web is, the higher the
likelihood that the corals will recover.
Medes Islands Marine Reserve, Spain
Size – 94 hectares
Contribution to the local economy – 6 million Euros (20% more than the fishing
industry)
Accounts for 88% of the tourism industry
Marine reserves (after 5-7 years) can change increase...
Diversity of species by 21%
Size of organisms by 28%
Abundance of organisms by 166%
Biomass of the ecosystem by 446%
Reasons why these changes are so dramatic
Fish reproduction rates in reserves are much higher in marine protected areas
Kenya – banning the use of seine nets – money for fishermen increased
Marine reserve – money for fishermen increased even more
Nassau groupers
If 30% of the aggregation is caught – income would be US $4,000 p.a.
If the area is protected aggregation for ecotourism – income would be $94,000
p.a. based on 20 divers per month.
Target is to have 20% of the world’s oceans to be protected.
Currently subsidies to the fishing industry (that often uses destructive methods)
is US $35 billion p.a.
Cost to protect 20% of the oceans is US $16 billion p.a. and it would create 1
million jobs.
The problem with this is creating these protected areas where there are very few
people and where the economic, political and social costs are low.
Why are only 1% of the oceans
protected?
Lack of awareness
Bad governance
Wrong funding models
What are the solutions to improve this
%?
Create global awareness and engagement
Redesign the governance
Develop new business models
Final thought – no single organisation will save the oceans. It requires a
collaborative effort and for us all to make an effort to change the situation.