Scientists from WCS and University of Hawai’i using new models to identify where forest conservation efforts will minimize human impacts offshore.
Researchers from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UH Mānoa), WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), and other groups are discovering how forest conservation in Fiji can minimize the impact of human activities on coral reefs and their fish populations.
Specifically, authors of a newly published study in the journal Scientific Reports have used innovative modeling tools to identify specific locations on the land where conservation actions would yield the highest benefits for downstream reefs in terms of mitigating harm to coral communities and associated reef fish populations.
The authors of the study titled “Scenario Planning with Linked Land-Sea Models Inform Where Forest Conservation Actions Will Promote Coral Reef Resilience” are: Jade M. S. Delevaux, Stacy D. Jupiter, Kostantinos A. Stamoulis, Leah L. Bremer, Amelia S. Wenger, Rachel Dacks, Peter Garrod, Kim A. Falinski, and Tamara Ticktin.
The researchers of the study focused on Fiji’s Kubulau District, where indigenous landowners are already taking action to manage their resources through a ridge-to-reef management plan.
Continue reading at Wildlife Conservation Society
Image via Stacy Jupiter, Wildlife Conservation Society
