Resilience Science

This is interesting topic about resilience :

Ocean ecosystems are increasingly threatened by overfishing,
pollution, habitat loss, climate change and coastal development.
Understanding why some ecosystems resist these shocks, and continue
to deliver benefits such as plentiful fish and pristine beaches, and
how others collapse is the subject of resilience science — a
budding branch of study that combines approaches from both the life
and social sciences.

“Resilience science examines how human and natural forces come
together to affect an ecosystem’s ability to resist, recover or
adapt to disturbances, ” Leslie said. “That knowledge can be directly
applied to conservation policies — policies that can better protect
the oceans.”

Key elements of resilience science include the recognition of the
connections between marine systems and human communities, the
maintenance of diversity in marine ecosystems and economies, and the
importance of monitoring of the dynamic ecological processes, such
as the rate of plankton production in the upper ocean, that create
large-scale ecological patterns.

Conservation policies based on resilience science are showing
promise around the world and across the United States, most notably
in the Chesapeake Bay. Restoration of the Bay is underway –
evidenced by oyster sanctuaries and eelgrass seeding — to restore
lost diversity and increase future resilience.

“Viewing the world through a resilience lens means embracing change
and acknowledging the tight connections between humans and nature,”
Leslie said. “The way forward will require embracing change at many
levels — in societal expectations, in business practices, in
resource management — to adapt to an ever-changing environment.
Resilience science can show the way forward, creating more robust
marine ecosystems and thriving human communities. “

*Heather Leslie, Sharpe Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
and Biology at Brown University, presented the symposium “Embracing
Change: A New Vision for Management in Coastal Marine Ecosystems”
on Feb. 17, 2008.

Source: Brown University.

 

Coral reefs in Pemuteran, Bali

This is the result of our survey on 10-11 September 2007. The appearance of coral reef areas is spotted from the Quick Bird image, which are Takad Sore, Penaum and Takad Gosong (Figure 1). From the Manta Tow surveys, the life form of coral reef in Takad Sore and Penaum were categorized as “damaged to recovery”, which were 25%-75% and 20%-60% respectively. In Takad Gosong its percent cover of life form was categorized “damaged to critical”, which was 5%-25%.

 

 

Further coral reef identification (LIT surveys) indicated that coral reef in Penaum had higher life form percentage than Takad Sore. Healthy life form of coral reef in Penaum was found in 3 m and 10 m depth, which were 72.74 % and 52.20 % respectively. Coral reef in Takad Sore, which was categorized as damaged/critically, had healthy life percentage of 15.48 % in 6 m and 3.40 % in 10 m depth. The coverage of death coral, life coral and others varied accordingly within the depth and location. In Penaum, its ratio of death coral, life coral and others was 72:27:1 in 3 m depth and 52:5:43 in 10 m depth. It showed that the condition of coral reef in Penaum was still in good condition. On the other hand, its ratio of death coral, life coral and others in Takad Sore was 15:71:13 in 6 m depth and 3:20:78 in 10 m depth.

However, the benthic life forms found in Penaum was lower than Takad Sore. In contrast with coral reef condition, there were 22 life benthic forms found in Penaum and 27 forms in Takad Sore. High percent cover of benthic life forms in Penaum was dominated by Porites (60%) in 3 m depth and soft coral (40%) in 10 depth, whereas high percent cover of benthic life forms in Takad Sore were dead coral algae (39%) and rubble coral (32%) in 6 m depth and SAND (36%), soft coral (31%) and rubble coral (19%) in 10 m depth.

  

Coral reef in Pemuteran (courtesy: Candhika, 2007) 

Based on the ecological index values, Takad Sore had low domination level of coral reef (C = 0.2674; 6m and 0.2686; 10m) with a small diversity level (H = 2.4917; 6 m and 2.2024; 10 m) and the uniformity level medium to high (E  = 0.5673; 6 m and 0.6671; 10 m). Similarly, Penaum had a low domination level (C = 0.4039; 3 m and 0.2579; 10 m) with a small diversity level (H = 1.8825; 3 m and 2.3915;10 m) and the uniformity level medium to high (E = 0.5442; 3 m and 0.6671; 10 meter).

Beside coral reef, the survey also examined the existence of reef fish. Through visual census on the BT method, there were a total of 446 individuals from 15 families of reef fish. In Takad Sore = 256 individuals from 15 families of reef fish. The reef fish families encountered during the surveys such as Acanthuridae (Surgeonfishes) and Chaetodontidae (Butterflyfishes), where as the most encountered reef fish families were Caesionidae (Fusiliers) and Pomacentridae (Damselfishes).

Based on the ecological indexes calculation result, Takad Sore had low domination index values of reef fish (C = 0.1768 at the depth of 6 meter and C = 0.4266 at 10 meter depth), average values of diversity index (H = 2.0561 at the depth of 6 meter and H = 1.2091 at 10 meter depth) and average to high evenness index values (E = 0.8274 at the depth of 6 meter and E = 0.6748 at 10 meter depth). The similar results also occurred at Penaum where it had low domination index values (C = 0.3951 at the depth of 3 meter and C = 0.4471 at 10 meter depth), average values of diversity index (H = 1.1359 at the depth of 3 meter and H = 1.2060 at 10 meter depth) and average to high evenness index values (E = 0.5837 at the depth of 3 meter and E = 0.6731 at 10 meter depth).

 

Based on those data, we proposed the conservation area in Pemuteran as shown Figure 2 below.

source: Marine Conservation Team – IMRO (2007)

 

Living with the nature

Well, many people wonder how could I so determine to stay in this such place ? Am I crazy ? Could I really survive ?

I have a dream but I’m not a dreamer. I believe that this place would be a perfect place to learn how the nature gives enourmous benefit to people. People often ignore the sustainibility of the earth. They only pursue their well being by exploiting the short-come benefit of the earth.

I’m so proud be around with the people who are willing to give hands by planting the mangroves, caring the living environment, protecting the reefs and providing their land for turtle nesting site.

Life is not only about the materialistic subjects but more about devotion, respect and honest. The nature is the most precious gift, but why we never value it ?

That’s why, I’m really enjoy to live and close to the nature…