Spatial cost–benefit analysis of blue restoration and factors driving net benefits globally

Marine coastal ecosystems, commonly referred to as blue ecosystems, provide valuable services to society but are under increasing threat worldwide due to a variety of drivers, including eutrophication, development, land-use change, land reclamation, and climate change. Ecological restoration is sometimes necessary to facilitate recovery in coastal ecosystems. Blue restoration (i.e., in marine coastal systems) is a developing field, and projects to date have been small scale and expensive, leading to the perception that restoration may not be economically viable. We conducted a global cost–benefit analysis to determine the net benefits of restoring coral reef, mangrove, saltmarsh, and seagrass ecosystems, where the benefit is defined as the monetary value of ecosystem services. We estimated costs from published restoration case studies and used an adjusted-value-transfer method to assign benefit values to these case studies. Benefit values were estimated as the monetary value provided by ecosystem services of the restored habitats. Benefits outweighed costs (i.e., there were positive net benefits) for restoration of all blue ecosystems. Mean benefit:cost ratios for ecosystem restoration were eight to 10 times higher than prior studies of coral reef and seagrass restoration, most likely due to the more recent lower cost estimates we used. Among ecosystems, saltmarsh had the greatest net benefits followed by mangrove; coral reef and seagrass ecosystems had lower net benefits. In general, restoration in nations with middle incomes had higher (eight times higher in coral reefs and 40 times higher in mangroves) net benefits than those with high incomes. Within an ecosystem type, net benefit varied with restoration technique (coral reef and saltmarsh), ecosystem service produced (mangrove and saltmarsh), and project duration (seagrass). These results challenge the perceptions of the low economic viability of blue restoration and should encourage further targeted investment in this field.     

近50a来三亚鹿回头石珊瑚物种多样性的演变特征及其环境意义

2005～2006年三亚鹿回头珊瑚礁现状调查共记录石珊瑚13科24属69种,礁坪以滨珊瑚占绝对优势(重要值百分比>50%),礁坡以鹿角珊瑚最占优势(28.33%).Pielou、Simpson和Shannon-Wiener多样性指数值均高于礁坪.对比历史资料发现近50 a来该岸段珊瑚礁呈衰退趋势:七世纪五六十年代该岸段珊瑚种类繁多、群落垂直分带,生物多样性较高;20世纪七八十年代礁坪已不见成片的活珊瑚,礁坡繁茂程度降低;20世纪90年代珊瑚种类虽仍比较丰富,但总体多样性下降;本次研究显示澄黄滨珊瑚已成为礁坪优势种,鹿角珊瑚在礁坡的优势度降低,物种多样性继续缩减.过度捕捞、大规模挖礁、海上和沿岸养殖等人类活动是造成该岸段珊瑚礁现有衰退的主要原凶,三亚河和近海上程建设带来的泥沙和污染物以及正向鹿回头扩展的潜水旅游可能是影响其发展的潜在威胁.     

徐闻珊瑚礁保护区海水中多环芳烃的初探

2006年8月,对徐闻珊瑚礁自然保护区中多环芳烃的污染现状进行调查和研究,采用固相萃取,GC-MS检测,分析其中16种多环芳烃（PAHs）单体的含量,结果表明该海域海水中16种PAHs的总平均含量为87.06±90.62 ng·L^-1,变化范围为43.31～435.64 ng·L^-1,与世界其它一些近岸海区海水中的PAHs含量相比污染较为严重。A1站位的PAHs含量偏高,主要来源于陆地的工业废水和生活污水以及渔船油污。PAHs含量的增多对珊瑚礁生态系统具有一定影响,最终将影响到人类的自身健康。     

Assessing stress response of Stylophora pistillata towards oil and phosphate pollution in the Gulf of Aqaba,using molecular and biochemical markers

Crude oil (from oil terminal) and raw phosphate (from phosphate port) pollution are responsible for the lowered health conditions of coral reefs at their vicinity in the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. Both in situ incubations and ex situ laboratory exposure experiments were used to study the effects of those pollutants on corals, by using molecular and biochemical biomarkers in the coral Stylophora pistillata. For ex situ part of the experiment, crude oil and raw phosphate were added to a final concentration of 500?ppm for both pollutants. The DNA damage was assessed by Comet assay, while biochemical stress markers were reassessed by lipid peroxidation (LPO) test. Although the corals looked healthy from outside, the use of stress biomarkers indicated that they are under high pressure at the cellular level. The corals incubated with oil and phosphate had more DNA damage and LPO in comparison with the control samples. The results obtained suggest that the use of stress biomarkers can be used as important prognostic tools for examining the sub-lethal stress on corals before their death.     

A reflection on four impactful Ambio papers: The biotic perspective: This article belongs to Ambio’s 50th Anniversary Collection. Theme: Climate change impacts

Climate change represents one of the most pressing societal and scientific challenges of our time. While much of the current research on climate change focuses on future prediction, some of the strongest signals of warming can already be seen in Arctic and alpine areas, where temperatures are rising faster than the global average, and in the oceans, where the combination of rising temperatures and acidification due to increased CO₂ concentrations has had catastrophic consequences for sensitive marine organisms inhabiting coral reefs. The scientific papers highlighted as part of this anniversary issue represent some of the most impactful advances in our understanding of the consequences of anthropogenic climate change. Here, we reflect on the legacy of these papers from the biotic perspective.     

海州湾海洋牧场人工鱼礁投放对营养盐的影响

为了解海州湾海洋牧场人工鱼礁投放对营养盐的影响,基于2008—2015年间共24个航次水质调查资料,分析了海州湾海洋牧场鱼礁区和对照区活性磷酸盐(PO_4~(3-)-P)、活性硅酸盐(SiO_3~(2-)-Si)和溶解无机氮(DIN)的浓度、组成及营养盐结构的变化.同时,比较了鱼礁区和对照区营养盐的变化,初步分析了人工鱼礁投放量与营养盐的相关性,尝试探索人工鱼礁投放对营养盐浓度与结构的影响.结果表明,鱼礁区和对照区PO_4~(3-)-P、SiO_3~(2-)-Si浓度均呈现出秋季夏季春季的特点,且鱼礁区高于对照区.DIN在鱼礁区和对照区也呈现出同样的季节变化特点,但鱼礁区的变化幅度显著大于对照区.海洋牧场人工鱼礁的投放使鱼礁区PO_4~(3-)-P和DIN浓度增加.受热力学平衡的影响,对照区DIN浓度也出现了增加,而PO_4~(3-)-P受人工鱼礁投放的影响小.鱼礁区和对照区SiO_3~(2-)-Si受人工鱼礁投放影响均不明显.另外,海洋牧场DIN组成也发生了改变,2012年前NO_3~--N为DIN主要组成,之后为NH_4~+-N.营养盐结构分析显示,海州湾海洋牧场营养盐对浮游植物主要表现为磷限制.     

Effect of Macroalgal Expansion and Marine Protected Areas on Coral Recovery Following a Climatic Disturbance

Disturbance plays an important role in structuring marine ecosystems, and there is a need to understand how conservation practices, such as the designation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), facilitate postdisturbance recovery. We evaluated the association of MPAs, herbivorous fish biomass, substrate type, postdisturbance coral cover, and change in macroalgal cover with coral recovery on the fringing reefs of the inner Seychelle islands, where coral mortality after a 1998 bleaching event was extensive. We visually estimated benthic cover and fish biomass at 9 sites in MPAs where fishing is banned and at 12 sites where fishing is permitted in 1994, 2005, 2008, and 2011. We used analysis of variance to examine spatial and temporal variations in coral cover and generalized additive models to identify relations between coral recovery and the aforementioned factors that may promote recovery. Coral recovery occurred on all substrate types, but it was highly variable among sites and times. Between 2005 and 2011 the increase in coral cover averaged 1%/year across 21 sites, and the maximum increase was 4%/year. However, mean coral cover across the study area (14%) remained at half of 1994 levels (28%). Sites within MPAs had faster rates of coral recovery than sites in fished areas only where cover of macroalgae was low and had not increased over time. In MPAs where macroalgae cover expanded since 1998 there was no recovery. Where coral was recovering on granite reefs there was a shift in relative prevalence of colony life‐form from branching to encrusting species. This simplification of reef structure may affect associated reef fauna even if predisturbance levels of coral cover are attained. Efecto de la Expansión de Macroalgas y Áreas Marinas Protegidas sobre la Recuperación de Coral Después de una Perturbación Climática     

Distribution of radionuclides in the guano sediments of Xisha Islands, South China Sea and its implication

Several natural and anthropogenic radionuclides (²¹⁰Pb, ²²⁶Ra and ¹³⁷Cs) in guano-phosphatic coral sediments and pure guano particles collected from Ganquan, Guangjin, Jinqing and Jinyin Islands of the Xisha archipelago, South China Sea, were analyzed. The Constant Initial Concentration (CIC) model and the Constant Rate of Supply (CRS) model were applied for age calculation. The average supply rate of ²¹⁰Pb was 126 Bq m⁻² a⁻¹, very close to the flux of northern hemisphere average (125 Bq m⁻² a⁻¹). The activities of anthropogenic radionuclides in the sediments were very low, indicating that human nuclear tests did not notably impact this region. The main source of radionuclides in the sediments was from atmospheric precipitation, and the organic matter derived from plant and produced by nutrient-rich guano could further enhance them.     

Designing Climate-Smart Conservation: Guidance and Case Studies

Abstract:  To be successful, conservation practitioners and resource managers must fully integrate the effects of climate change into all planning projects. Some conservation practitioners are beginning to develop, test, and implement new approaches that are designed to deal with climate change. We devised four basic tenets that are essential in climate-change adaptation for conservation: protect adequate and appropriate space, reduce nonclimate stresses, use adaptive management to implement and test climate-change adaptation strategies, and work to reduce the rate and extent of climate change to reduce overall risk. To illustrate how this approach applies in the real world, we explored case studies of coral reefs in the Florida Keys; mangrove forests in Fiji, Tanzania, and Cameroon; sea-level rise and sea turtles in the Caribbean; tigers in the Sundarbans of India; and national planning in Madagascar. Through implementation of these tenets conservation efforts in each of these regions can be made more robust in the face of climate change. Although these approaches require reconsidering some traditional approaches to conservation, this new paradigm is technologically, economically, and intellectually feasible.     

Behaviour of Dioxins,Furans and Metals Associated with Stabilized Msw Combustor Ash in Sea Water

This report presents the results of a research programme designed to examine the engineering and environmental acceptability of stabilizing municipal solid waste (MSW) combustor ash for artificial reef construction. Municipal solid waste combustor ash was combined with Portland cement to form solid blocks using conventional construction block making technology. the resultant stabilized combustor ash (SCA) blocks were used to construct an artificial habitat in Conscience Bay, Long Island Sound, New York and compared to identical concrete blocks, fabricated using natural aggregates. Over a 4.5 year period divers periodically returned to the site to monitor the interaction of SCA blocks with the marine environment and compare the performance of these blocks with the concrete control blocks. Results show that the SCA blocks retain their strength after prolonged sea water exposure. Contaminants of environmental concern, including metals, dioxins and furans, were retained within the cementitious matrix of the SCA blocks after prolonged sea water submersion. in addition, organisms growing on the surfaces of the SCA blocks did not accumulate contaminants from the blocks.