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Impact of anthropogenic disturbances on a diverse riverine fish assemblage in Fiji predicted by functional traits

Available Online

Brown, Christopher J.

Jenkins, Aaron P.

Jupiter, Stacy D.

Lin, Hsien-Yung

1. Anthropogenic disturbances particularly affect biodiversity in sensitive freshwater ecosystems by causing species loss. Thus, measuring the response of species to multiple disturbances is a key issue for conservation and environmental management. 2. As it is not practical to assess the response of every species in a community, we compared the performance of trait and taxonomic-based groupings of species for their abilities to predict species loss in a threatened freshwater fish assemblage. Specifically, we examined responses of a Fijian freshwater fish assemblage to deforestation, placement of anthropogenic barriers (overhanging culverts) and the presence of introduced cichlids. 3. Species grouped by traits showed more consistent responses to disturbances than taxonomic groups. In particular, species belonging to trait groups that were estuary associated favoured medium-to-hard substrate, while feeding specialists were highly likely to be absent in catchments with high deforestation and overhanging culverts. The presence of introduced cichlids (Oreochromis mossambicus and O. niloticus) had a smaller effect than deforestation and barriers, but was negatively associated with species richness of diadromous species with climbing ability and positively associated with presences of some piscivores. The trait groups also revealed that detritivores, species favouring soft substrate, and those with a broad dietary range were less sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances. 4. Our study indicates that using traits to predict species loss from disturbed environments can aid in detecting the responses of rare species to disturbance. In addition, we provided a method to estimate the consistency of species responses to disturbance. This study may ultimately help managers identify the most effective actions for conserving sensitive species that are seldom recorded in surveys.

fiji

Habitat change mediates the response of coral fish populations to terrestrial run-off

Available Online

Albert, Simon

Brown, Christopher J.

Jupiter, Stacy D.

Klein, Carissa

Lin, Hsien-Yung

Maina, Joseph M.

Mumby, Peter J.

Tullock, Vivitskaia J. D.

Wenger, Amelia S.

ABSTRACT: Coastal fish populations are typically threatened by multiple human activities, including fishing pressure and run-off of terrestrial pollution. Linking multiple threats to their impacts on fish populations is challenging because the threats may influence a species directly, or indirectly, via its habitats and its interactions with other species. Here we examine spatial variation in abundance of coral reef fish across gradients of fishing pressure and turbidity in Fiji. We explicitly account for multiple pathways of influence to test the alternative hypotheses that (1) habitat moderates predation by providing shelter, so habitat loss only affects prey fish populations if there are abundant predators, (2) habitat change co-drives biomass of both prey and predator functional groups. We examined responses of 7 fish functional groups and found that habitat change co-drives both predator and prey responses to turbidity. Abundances of all functional groups were associated with changes in habitat cover; however, the responses of their habitats to turbidity were mixed. Planktivore and piscivore abundance were lower in areas of high turbidity, because cover of their preferred habitats was lower. Invertivore, browser and grazer abundance did not change strongly over the turbidity gradient, because different components of their habitats exhibited both increases and decreases with turbidity. The effects of turbidity on fish populations were minor in areas where fish populations were already depleted by fishing. These findings suggest that terrestrial run-off modifies the composition of reef fish communities indirectly by affecting the benthic habitats that reef fish use.

Tracing the influence of land-use change on water quality and coral reefs using a Bayesian model

Available Online

Albert, Simon

Brown, Christopher J.

Jupiter, Stacy D.

Klein, Carissa J.

Maina, Joseph M.

Mangubhai, Sangeeta

Mumby, Peter

Olley, Jon

Stewart-Koster, Ben

Tulloch, Vivitskaia

Wenger, Amelia

Coastal ecosystems can be degraded by poor water quality. Tracing the causes of poor water quality back to land-use change is necessary to target catchment management for coastal zone management. However, existing models for tracing the sources of pollution require extensive data-sets which are not available for many of the worlds coral reef regions that may have severe water quality issues. Here we develop a hierarchical Bayesian model that uses freely available satellite data to infer the connection between land-uses in catchments and water clarity in coastal oceans. We apply the model to estimate the influence of land-use change on water clarity in Fiji. We tested the models predictions against underwater surveys, finding that predictions of poor water quality are consistent with observations of high siltation and low coverage of sediment-sensitive coral genera. The model thus provides a means to link land-use change to declines in coastal water quality

Pacific Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change (PEBACC) Newsletter - Issue 2 (March 2017)

Biodiversity Conservation

Available Online

PEBACC

This quarterly newsletter is an initiative to share information on Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), a pragmatic and sustainable option for securing resilience in social and ecological systems impacted by climate change.

Regional Statement on the Climate of 2016/17 and Climate and Tropical Cyclone Outlook for the Pacific Islands

Third Pacific Islands Climate Outlook Forum (PICOF-3)

Climate in late 2016 and early-mid 2017| The Pacific has seen El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral conditions in the past year. Near La Niña conditions were present in late 2016 and near El Niño conditions developed in the eastern parts of the Pacific in early 2017;| Associated with the above was below normal rainfall in the central Pacific (Kiribati, Tuvalu and northern Cook Islands) from late 2016 to early 2017 and below normal rainfall in the south Pacific e.g. Vanuatu and Fiji from about May 2017. In New Caledonia, rainfall was the lowest on record from June to August 2017. Also in June and July, rainfall was above normal in the vicinity of the New Guinea Islands and the northern Solomon Islands;| The 2016-17 South Pacific tropical cyclone season (November to April) was the least active since 2011-12, and one of the quietest on record with only four cyclones occurring east of 160°E.

A database for traditional knowledge of weather and climate in the Pacific

Climate Change Resilience

Available Online

Chambers, Lynda E.

Dossis, Tom

Hiriasia, David H.

Malsale, Philip

Martin, David J.

Mitiepo, Rossy

Plotz, Roan D.

Tahera, Khadiza

Tofaeono, Tile I.

Growinginterestintraditionalknowledge(TK),particularlyinrelationtothepredictionofweatherorclimate extremes, raises issues concerning the appropriate storage and management of the information collected. The Traditional Knowledge Database (TK Database) for the storage and use of TK associated with weather and climate prediction in the Paci c was designed with the following principles in mind: (1) preservation of the knowledge, maintaining cultural context wherever possible; (2) respect for intellectual property and cultural sensitivities around data sharing and use; (3) appropriate system design, accounting for ongoing costs of system maintenance and often intermittent Internet access; and (4) moving beyond data preservation to ensure continued use and growth of the TK. The TK Database was successfully deployed to four countries in the south Paci c and is regularly used by their national meteorological services, and partner organizations, both to preserve TK related to weather and climate and as a tool to assist in monitoring the TK indicators. As the rst database of its kind, the TK Database lls a critical gap in the appropriate storage and application of TK and provides an important foundation for future developments.

Examining our Environment through Data for Decision-Making

Environmental Governance

Available Online

This video describes the work of SPREPs EMG division in helping partner countries compile and analyse current environmental data. Partners can use the accurate, good-quality data to assess what environmental targets are on track, as well as areas in need of further policies and programs. Some of the key processes EMG uses to document the findings are the State of Environment Report and National Environment Management Strategies.

Sea Turtle Restoration Project of Turtle Island Restoration Network and Mas Kagin Tapani in partnership with Karkum villagers - Lessons learned in community-managed marine area in Karkum, Madang, Papua New Guinea

Available Online

Magun, Wenceslaus

This paper was informed by literature review, review of project activities and interviews with key leaders from Karkum, and other local communities the Sea Turtle Restoration Project (STRP) team has worked with in Madang, Papua New Guinea. Local communities and other stakeholders were informed about the critical status of the Pacific leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) which is being pushed to the verge of extinction. The paper further showed the seven resource management planning steps used that enabled Karkums to establish their Community-managed Marine Area using Conservation Deed (CMMA-CD) on 17th November 2008. The Karkum STRP experience points out that some of the root causes of environmental destruction, often begins with lack of community control over resources and the inequitable distribution of money and power. These conflicts are further inflamed by misconceived cargo cult demands. To overcome some of these challenges, the paper indicated that Mas Kagin Tapani (MAKATA) needs long-term funding to carry out further turtle awareness, and conduct problem tree analysis workshop(s) to review the Karkum-Mirap conservation Map, and the Karkum CMMA-CD. Funds will also be used to carry out sea turtles tagging and beach monitoring exercises, conduct a training needs analysis study, and meet the recommendations identified in the training needs analysis study. If funded MAKATA will continue to develop and distribute educational awareness materials to local communities and other stakeholders. The paper revealed further that additional funds are needed by MAKATA to build its infrastructure, recruit staff, and meet its management and governance issues.

papua new guinea

The Best of Both Worlds: A decision-making framework for combining traditional and contemporary forecast systems

Climate Change Resilience

Available Online

Chambers, Lynda D.

Finn, Charlotte K.

Plotz, Roan D.

In most countries, national meteorological services either generate or have access to seasonal climate forecasts.However,inanumberofregions,theuptakeoftheseforecastsbylocalcommunitiescanbelimited, with the locals instead relying on traditional knowledgeto make their climate forecasts.Both approachesto seasonal climate forecasting have bene ts, and the incorporation of traditional forecast methods into contemporaryforecastsystemscanleadtoforecaststhatarelocallyrelevantandbettertrustedbytheusers.This in turn could signi cantly improve the communication and application of climate information, especially to remote communities. A number of different methodologies have been proposed for combining these forecasts. Through considering the bene ts and limitations of each approach, practical recommendations are providedonselectingamethod,intheformofadecisionframework,thattakesintoconsiderationbothuser and provider needs. The framework comprises four main decision points: 1) consideration of the level of involvement of traditional-knowledge experts or the community that is required, 2) existing levels of traditional knowledge of climate forecasting and its level of cultural sensitivity, 3) the availability of long-term databoth traditional-knowledge and contemporary-forecast components, and 4) the level of resourcing available.Noonemethodissuitableforeveryoneandeverysituation;however,thedecisionframeworkhelps to select the most appropriate method for a given situation.

O Tafaoga a le Malie o Sitú ma ana Uó

Goldfarb, Ben

Meth, Leah

Yagmin Jr., Dan (illustrator)

O Tafaoga a le Malie o Sitú ma ana Uó - a children's book in Samoan on Stanley the Shark and Friends

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