Chapter 11
MAPPING OF CORAL REEFS FOR MANAGEMENT OF MARINE
PROTECTED AREAS IN DEVELOPING NATIONS USING REMOTE
SENSING
CANDACE M. NEWMAN, ELLSWORTH F. LEDREW, AND ALAN LIM
Department of Geography, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada
1. Introduction
In 1998, the Australian high commission joined other national efforts, such as the
US Coral Reef Task Force, to meet the challenge of developing a remote sensingintegrated management plan to ‘conserve and protect’ coral reef ecosystems. Today, in
Australia alone, over 408 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been developed
conserving and protecting the country’s reef heritage (www.mpaglobal.org). These
MPAs represent the combined efforts of hundreds of scientists and managers to
integrate some of the most advanced satellite technology into efforts to preserve reef
ecosystems.
Today this same challenge exists within developing countries. Such countries
reside outside the ‘digital environment,’ yet application of remote sensing in these areas
would be beneficial. In particular, new advancements in remote sensing technologies
that allow for the mapping of underwater features in shallow coastal environments may
enhance local management efforts that seek to sustain essential marine resources that
provide sustenance and drive economies in countries throughout the world. For many
developing countries, these efforts are focused on MPA development, an increasingly
common strategy used to control human activity where, for example, coral species and
the aquatic organisms that inhabit them are at risk of exploitation and subsequent
elimination.
Many remote sensing projects now aspire to the dual mission of identifying
underwater features at high spatial scales and integrating this information with local
management strategies. On the ground, this is an enormous task, requiring extensive
training, specialist knowledge, and financial and time investments. Regardless of the
effort required, however, environmental representatives, activists, planners, and
managers claim that the returns far outweigh the costs. On the other hand, some critics
note a lack of success both in developing remote sensing technologies to separate
underwater features accurately, and in interpreting mapped underwater features in a
biologically and culturally significant manner. This criticism has led to questions
concerning the usefulness of remote sensing for management. Others have argued that
despite the sometimes-limited success of the integration and use of remote sensing
technologies, the integration of remote sensing into management plans is conceptually
possible and may yield considerable benefits if the ideal integration is found.
In this chapter, we attempt to illustrate that such integration, as a means to
affect management, is in fact possible. Based on our experiences in Fiji, we suggest
that effective and appropriate communication is required, in particular in regions where
language and cultural barriers bedevil attempts at cooperation between distinct groups
such as remote sensing scientists and local coral reef managers. We begin with an
examination of the status of the World’s coral reefs, then, the use of Marine Protected
251
and Management Applications, 251-278.
© 2006 Springer. Printed in the Netherlands.
L.L. Richardson and E.F. LeDrew (eds.), Remote Sensing of Aquatic Coastal Ecosystem Processes: Science
MAPPING OF CORAL REEFS FOR MANAGEMENT OF MARINE
PROTECTED AREAS IN DEVELOPING NATIONS USING REMOTE
SENSING
CANDACE M. NEWMAN, ELLSWORTH F. LEDREW, AND ALAN LIM
Department of Geography, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada
1. Introduction
In 1998, the Australian high commission joined other national efforts, such as the
US Coral Reef Task Force, to meet the challenge of developing a remote sensingintegrated management plan to ‘conserve and protect’ coral reef ecosystems. Today, in
Australia alone, over 408 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been developed
conserving and protecting the country’s reef heritage (www.mpaglobal.org). These
MPAs represent the combined efforts of hundreds of scientists and managers to
integrate some of the most advanced satellite technology into efforts to preserve reef
ecosystems.
Today this same challenge exists within developing countries. Such countries
reside outside the ‘digital environment,’ yet application of remote sensing in these areas
would be beneficial. In particular, new advancements in remote sensing technologies
that allow for the mapping of underwater features in shallow coastal environments may
enhance local management efforts that seek to sustain essential marine resources that
provide sustenance and drive economies in countries throughout the world. For many
developing countries, these efforts are focused on MPA development, an increasingly
common strategy used to control human activity where, for example, coral species and
the aquatic organisms that inhabit them are at risk of exploitation and subsequent
elimination.
Many remote sensing projects now aspire to the dual mission of identifying
underwater features at high spatial scales and integrating this information with local
management strategies. On the ground, this is an enormous task, requiring extensive
training, specialist knowledge, and financial and time investments. Regardless of the
effort required, however, environmental representatives, activists, planners, and
managers claim that the returns far outweigh the costs. On the other hand, some critics
note a lack of success both in developing remote sensing technologies to separate
underwater features accurately, and in interpreting mapped underwater features in a
biologically and culturally significant manner. This criticism has led to questions
concerning the usefulness of remote sensing for management. Others have argued that
despite the sometimes-limited success of the integration and use of remote sensing
technologies, the integration of remote sensing into management plans is conceptually
possible and may yield considerable benefits if the ideal integration is found.
In this chapter, we attempt to illustrate that such integration, as a means to
affect management, is in fact possible. Based on our experiences in Fiji, we suggest
that effective and appropriate communication is required, in particular in regions where
language and cultural barriers bedevil attempts at cooperation between distinct groups
such as remote sensing scientists and local coral reef managers. We begin with an
examination of the status of the World’s coral reefs, then, the use of Marine Protected
251
and Management Applications, 251-278.
© 2006 Springer. Printed in the Netherlands.
L.L. Richardson and E.F. LeDrew (eds.), Remote Sensing of Aquatic Coastal Ecosystem Processes: Science