title: Anticipative management for coral reef ecosystem services in the 21st century.
abstract: Under projections of global climate change and other stressors, significant changes in the ecology, structure and function of coral reefs are predicted. Current management strategies tend to look to the past to set goals, focusing on halting declines and restoring baseline conditions. Here, we explore a complementary approach to decision making that is based on the anticipation of future changes in ecosystem state, function and services. Reviewing the existing literature and utilizing a scenario planning approach, we explore how the structure of coral reef communities might change in the future in response to global climate change and overfishing. We incorporate uncertainties in our predictions by considering heterogeneity in reef types in relation to structural complexity and primary productivity. We examine 14 ecosystem services provided by reefs, and rate their sensitivity to a range of future scenarios and management options. Our predictions suggest that the efficacy of management is highly dependent on biophysical characteristics and reef state. Reserves are currently widely used and are predicted to remain effective for reefs with high structural complexity. However, when complexity is lost, maximizing service provision requires a broader portfolio of management approaches, including the provision of artificial complexity, coral restoration, fish aggregation devices and herbivore management. Increased use of such management tools will require capacity building and technique refinement and we therefore conclude that diversification of our management toolbox should be considered urgently to prepare for the challenges of managing reefs into the 21st century.
authors.affiliation: Marine Spatial Ecology Laboratory and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia Campus, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia; Marine Spatial Ecology Laboratory, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Alastair R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Harborne
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Yves-Marie
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Bozec
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Iliana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chollett
authors.forename: Karlo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hock
authors.forename: Cheryl A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Knowland
authors.forename: Alyssa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marshell
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Ortiz
authors.forename: Tries
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Razak
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roff
authors.forename: Jimena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Samper-Villarreal
authors.forename: Megan I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Nicholas H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Mumby
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000191:economics*; D057894:Coral Reefs; D004463:Ecology / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*
keywords: coral reefs; degraded ecosystems; ecosystem function; ecosystem services; habitat complexity; marine reserve