[Coral-List] Mauritius reefs

[Ruby Moothien]

Dear all
For more details on the 1998 bleaching on the reefs of Mauritius, please 
also see "  Moothien Pillay R, Terashima H, Kawasaki H (2002) The extent and 
intensity of the 1998 mass bleaching event on the reefs of Mautitius, Indian 
Ocean. Galaxea 4:43-52"
Cheers
Ruby

> Dear colleagues
>
> Thank you to those who pointed out this error and provided links to
> papers and online resources, due to the quick reaction we should be able
> to make a correction before the final print run to at least put this
> statement right.
>
> Kind regards
>
> Emily
>
> Emily Corcoran
> Programme Officer
> UNEP-WCMC
> +44 1223 27 73 14 ext.289
>
>>>> "Michael Risk" <riskmj at univmail.cis.mcmaster.ca> 11/01/06 06:19pm
>>>>
> Dear Tom, Ruby, Ranjeet.
>
> To echo previous postings: the UNEP Report is seriously in error.
>
> I have in fact read this Report. It is long on lovely graphics, short
> on data and Methods, and the names of none of the compilers were
> familiar to me. (I hasten to add I know maybe 10% of Indian Ocean reef
> experts-but none of the French Connection from Reunion, for example,
> were involved.)
>
> Rather than add to our litany of reef woes, I think this points up the
> weakness of most "rapid assessment" programs, especially those run by
> large organisations.
>
> Mauritius might confuse the uninitiated. There is little coral growth
> outside the lagoon, and there never was-during the Holocene. The
> well-developed spur-and-groove system is Pleistocene in origin, and
> the
> Pleistocene outcrops in several places in the lagoons.
>
> The action is in the lagoons-our work shows that virtually 100% of
> Mauritian beaches are sourced from lagoon corals and other critters.
> Bleaching has had little impact to date. On the other hand...there are
> problems near sources of agricultural runoff, hotels...holes in the
> lagoon corals off old limekilns...and of course there are essentially
> no fish in the lagoon.
>
> The UNEP crew would have been better off saving the airfares, and
> talking with local Mauritian reef experts, such as Ruby...
>
> Mike
>
> On Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:31:35 -0500
> Thomas Goreau <goreau at bestweb.net> wrote:
>> Dear Ranjeet,
>>
>> No this is not correct. Mauritius did not get hot enough long enough
>>
>> in 1998 to have much bleaching mortality as did Seychjelles,
>> Mauritius, and most of the Indian Ocean   (See T. Goreau, T.
>> McClanahan, R. Hayes, & A. Strong, 2000, Conservation of coral reefs
>>
>> after the 1998 global bleaching event, CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, 14:
>> 5-15, and follow up studies of coral bleaching in Mauritius by
>> McClanahan and Ruby Moothien Pillai). But this is not to say
>> Mauritius reefs are in good health. There has been long damage from
>
>> soil erosion and fertilizer runoff from sugar cultivation, and now
>> from sewage from coastal development. For a recent assessment of
> reef
>>
>> stress on all four sides of Mauritius see:
>> http://globalcoral.org/Mauritius%20Marine%20Management%20Notes.htm
>>
>> Best wishes,
>> Tom
>>
>> Thomas J. Goreau, PhD
>> President
>> Global Coral Reef Alliance
>> 37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA 02139
>> 617-864-4226
>> goreau at bestweb.net
>> http://www.globalcoral.org
>>
>>
>>
>> > Message: 1
>> > Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2006 12:38:47 -0500
>> > From: "Ranjeet Bhagooli" <coral at scientist.com>
>> > Subject: Re: [Coral-List] UNEP report
>> > To: sddonner at Princeton.EDU, Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>> > Message-ID: <20061031173853.72B2F1F50B1 at ws1-2.us4.outblaze.com>
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>> >
>> > This report mentions that coral reefs of Mauritius were "severely
>
>> > damaged". I suppose it's relating it to the 1998 mass bleaching/
>> > mortality event in the Indian Ocean.
>> >
>> > "Coral reefs across the Indian Ocean including around the Comoros,
>>
>> > La Reunion, Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles, were among
>> > those that were severely damaged."
>> >
>> > Was that really the case?
>> > Pls. correct me if I'm wrong!
>> >
>> > Ranjeet Bhagooli, Ph.D.
>> > MBF/RSMAS, UM
>> > Miami, Florida
>> > USA
>>
>>
>>
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>
> Mike Risk
> Marine Ecologist
> PO Box 1195
> Durham Ontario
> N0G 1R0
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