Protected ocean areas can’t save coral reefs from climate change, new research shows

By Emily Jackson – Vancouver Sun – August 5, 2010, p. A9

The conventional wisdom that marine reserves can save coral reefs from climate change is wishful thinking, according to Simon Fraser University researchers.

In fact, marine reserves, areas of the ocean that are protected from overfishing and pollution, make coral reefs more vulnerable to higher temperatures, said Isabelle Cote, a professor of tropical marine ecology at SFU who has studied coral reefs for 25 years.

“If they can’t cope with fishing, they can’t cope with climate change either,” Cote said.

Experts have long agreed that reducing fishing and pollution would help coral reefs survive climate change, according to a 2008 report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.

But Cote’s research contradicts this.

If it held true, higher water temperatures would cause less suffering for protected reefs than for unprotected reefs, she said.

Cote and her research partner, Emily Darling, analyzed more than 50 publications on the vulnerability of coral reefs to climate change for evidence supporting the theory. None was found.

Coral reef species that can’t deal with typical ocean pressures such as fishing and pollution do survive in protected areas, Cote said.

However, “When there’s a period of really warm waters, these species drop like flies because they’re really sensitive,” she said.

Because coral reefs outside of protected areas deal with more stress, the species they house are more resilient. These “tougher” reefs are more likely to withstand climate change, Cote said.

But that doesn’t mean that marine reserves don’t have a purpose.

“Inside marine protected areas you do get massive increases in diversity, species that you don’t find anywhere else,” Cote said.

Climate models are advanced enough now to predict which areas of the ocean will warm the most in the next 50 to 100 years, she said, and planners should use this information to ensure marine reserves are put in places that are the least likely to warm up.

Even without factoring in the potential for climate change, experts predicted that 15 per cent of the world’s coral reefs will be seriously threatened in 10 to 20 years, according to the 2008 report.

Coral reefs act as barriers during storms, provide seafood, are a source of sand for beaches and are home to millions of species.

And, says Cote, “We’ve only scratched the surface of the potential for these organisms to solve health problems.”

While Cote’s research was done in tropical climates, she said her conclusions might also apply to the temperate waters off B.C. “There are lots of strong parallels between tropical coral reefs and temperate kelp forests,” she said.

B.C. has 148 marine protected areas in place to conserve kelp beds, abandoned canneries and archeological sites.