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To Join the network or submit updates, contact:
For more information about The Nature Conservancy's Global Marine Initiative, visit: |
November 2009
Distributed by the
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Resilience Practitioners Network, As we continue to work to improve the resources and opportunities we offer through the Resilience Practitioners Network, we are thrilled to announce some additions to our team. Rebecca Cerroni and Michelle Machasick are joining Stephanie Wear to implement the ambitious plans laid out for our Reef Resilience Program over the next 4 years. You can expect to be hearing more from them in the coming months as we begin to roll out our new activities. Please check out the new homepage for www.reefresilience.org! We are continuing to develop our ‘members only’ space where you will be able to log on, load your profile, share information about your work, and seek out other managers that are facing similar challenges. We’ll make an announcement when the space is ready. Some new activities planned for the network include quarterly case study webinars and expert calls where members can hear from experts and discuss current problems. The first in the series of Resilience Webinars and Hot Topic calls is scheduled for December 8, 2009 and will include information about activities happening in the next year. Register for the Resilience Webinar: or . All of these changes are the result of the great suggestions we have received from you all — so keep them coming. Stay tuned as all of these new tools become available!
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Coral reef managers from Micronesia participated in the training workshop series entitled “Reef Resilience and Climate Change: A Workshop for Coral Reef Managers” in August in Guam. Participants included more than 25 experts in coral reef management from Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia (Kosrae, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Yap). The workshop focused on:
There was also a focus on the human element of the issues surrounding climate change and mass bleaching with information on the socioeconomic impacts of these events, how to monitor these impacts and the concepts of social-ecological resilience. As with past workshops, the main goal beyond communicating the latest climate change science and management strategies is for participants to strengthen partnerships with their fellow managers and share strategies, local management actions and lessons learned. Tangible outcomes included draft bleaching response plans and MPA designs that emphasize resilience to climate change. The workshop was sponsored by NOAA with support from The Nature Conservancy, Guam Department of Agriculture, Guam Environmental Protection Agency, Guam Coast Management Program, the University of Guam Marine Laboratory, and the East West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. The workshop offered a great opportunity to highlight the and . Please contact NOAA at coralreefwatch@noaa.gov if you have any questions about these tools. Spotlight on Kenya
These areas have been disturbed in the recent past by bleaching events including the 1998 El Niño event, and harmful algal blooms (i.e., red tides in 2002). Climate change, El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) related events, and human causes such as over-fishing, are also a threat to this area. The primary goal of the reserve is to safeguard the biodiversity and integrity of physical and ecological processes of KMNR, for the health, welfare, enjoyment and inspiration of present and future generations. Although resilience principals were not initially taken into consideration during the design of the reserve in 1979, they have since played a major role in the management of the reserve. In 1998, the mass bleaching event triggered interest in the effects of climate change, and subsequently resilience principles were incorporated into the management plan. Currently, coral reef resilience monitoring is being implemented due to the development of an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) methodology. READ MORE... Recent Publications and Other Resources
, November 23-27, 2009 |
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The coral reefs found within Kiunga Marine National Reserve are comprised of mainly patch reefs, with fringing reef in the northern part. These reefs are home to over 50 genera (4 of which are globally-rare), 150 identified coral species, as well as over three hundred species of fish. Additionally, seagrass beds form the most extensive wildlife habitat in the KMNR, and are located from the low tide level to about 10m depth. Mangroves also provide critical habitat for varies species, serving as forage and resting areas for sea turtles and nursery grounds for juvenile fishes. These mangrove-dominated environments equate to about 20,000 ha, approximately 30% - 40% of Kenya’s mangrove stock.