MARINE  CONSERVATION  NEWS

Marine Conservation Society Seychelles, 
 PO Box 1299, Victoria, Mahe ,Seychelles

Coping with the Effects of Climate Change and Coral Bleaching

In early 1998 Seychelles suffered an extended period of raised sea temperatures for 3-4 months; these climatic events have since been related to the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Temperatures in Seychelles waters were elevated to 30-32 degrees centigrade with little evidence of a thermocline down to depths of 20 metres.
The coral species in our waters are not adapted to these temperatures and in response undergo a process of “bleaching” whereby the symbiotic algae that  reside in the surface tissue of the coral organism are ejected and the coral thereby loses its colour.

 

July 2003  

Vol 1, No. 1
 

 

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Bleached Pocillopora  coral. Photo B. Wendling

Coral can generally recover well from short periods of such bleaching, regaining their symbiotic algae. However, long periods without symbiotic algae severely stress the corals and can result in coral death which occurred on a large scale during this period. Living coral coverage in Seychelles was severely reduced with coral mortality ranging from 50 to 90 % depending on location.

Massive bleaching  along a reef. Photo B. Wendling

 This was tantamount to a regional environmental disaster caused by global factors with an impact felt throughout most of the Indian Ocean . The 1997—1998 bleaching event stimulated the MCSS to further action and the Seychelles Marine Ecosystem Management Project (SEYMEMP) was born. MCSS initiated the development of a project for submission to the Global Environment Facility in partnership with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Environment . Development of such a project is time consuming but funds were finally approved to the sum of US 750,000 in December 2000.

  The project aims to quantify the impacts of the coral-bleaching event and develop methods and means to mitigate and cope with these changes.

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