The Human Dimensions of Southeast Florida Reefs: Benefits, Uses, and Perceptions Manoj Shivlani, PhD Lead Coordinator Center for Independent Experts/NTVI
Outline I will focus on the human dimensions of coral reefs in southeast Florida, presenting information and analysis on: 1. Population and population change in southeast Florida 2. Direct and indirect benefits of southeast Florida coral reefs 3. Uses of southeast Florida coral reefs 4. Perceptions of southeast Florida reef conditions and management preferences
Population and population change
Population and population change in southeast Florida 100 There are almost 90 80 Millions/percengate six million residents 70 60 in Miami-Dade, 50 Broward, Palm 40 30 Beach, and Martin 20 10 Counties 0 Population % of FL population This makes up 1/3 Florida Southeast Florida of the entire state of Florida
Population and population change in southeast Florida 6000000 5000000 4000000 Populaton 3000000 2000000 1000000 0 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Year Miami-Dade Broward Palm Beach Martin Population increased considerably in the post war years, growing by 714% over the past 60 years 700,000 residents in 1950 5.7 million residents in 2010
Population and population change in southeast Florida 1800 1600 1400 Population density 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Year Miami-Dade Broward Palm Beach Martin Southeast Florida Population densities increased considerably in the post war years, as well, going from an average of 101.8 persons/mile 2 in 1950 to an average of 828.9 persons/mile 2 in 2010 These figures do not account for areas protected from building, and effective population densities are much higher Broward County is the 2 nd most populous county in FL
Population and population change in southeast Florida Population growth has always centered near the coast in southeast Florida The first areas to be developed in the region were invariably the waterfront and coastal areas, to the detriment of coastal and nearshore habitats With a few exceptions, growth swung to inland areas only from the 1970s onwards, after the much of the coastal belt had been built out
Direct and indirect benefits of southeast Florida coral reefs
Direct and indirect benefits of southeast Florida coral reefs Direct benefits Direct benefits are those related to the values derived clearly from coral reefs These are the benefits that most people can “see” and appreciate Direct benefits include income and enjoyment derived from: Fishing Diving and snorkeling Other recreation and uses
Direct and indirect benefits of southeast Florida coral reefs How much are these direct benefits worth? The last major, reef use study on the value of natural and artificial reefs was completed almost 15 years ago In short, we don ’ t know how much MORE coral reefs are worth today Johns et al., 2004 and Johns et al., 2001reported that reefs in the early 2000s contributed over $3.5 billion and almost 36,000 jobs to the regional economy
Direct and indirect benefits of southeast Florida coral reefs Landings averaged 7 million pounds from 1994-2010 Most important species included king and Spanish mackerel, bait shrimp, reef finfish, and offshore pelagic finfish Direct benefits from commercial fishing Total landings do not represent value from coral reefs, but many species landed do spend some time on reefs and reef associated ecosystems Spiny lobster, reef finfish, coastal migratory finfish
Direct and indirect benefits of southeast Florida coral reefs Almost 6 million anglers took 25 million fishing trips in 2012 in the State of Florida Benefits from local and out of state anglers include contributions to bait shops, fishing licenses, charter vessels, headboats, boating establishments, and even the lodging and hospitality industry While this figure does not show the direct benefits accrued from fishing trips and is not specific to the southeast Florida region, it is clear that from the totals that recreational fishing is a major industry in the region Recreational fisheries account for a majority of all fin fish landings in southeast Florida
Direct and indirect benefits of southeast Florida coral reefs Indirect benefits Indirect benefits are those benefits that coral reefs provide but which are not easily or clearly observed or discerned Indirect benefits include ecosystem services, storm protection, biodiversity generation, and biomedical potential
Direct and indirect benefits of southeast Florida coral reefs Storm protection We live in hurricane alley and are presently at the start of another hurricane season Coral reefs help to absorb storm energy and slow down wave actions during storms
Direct and indirect benefits of southeast Florida coral reefs Centers of biodiversity Our reefs, like those across the tropical oceans, hold vast amounts of biodiversity An estimated 25% of fish species are found on coral reefs These reefs and environs can serve as source sites for Kough et al. (2013) shows seeding other source-sink dynamics and locations connectivity for spiny lobster in Connecting the Caribbean and NW Atlantic metapopulations
Direct and indirect benefits of southeast Florida coral reefs Biomedical potential and realities Coral skeletons themselves are used as bone grafts Antivirals such as AZT and anti-cancer drugs have been isolated from sponges on Caribbean coral reefs Prospects of finding new drugs in the ocean are much higher than on terrestrial ecosystems, due in part to phylogenetic diversity Caribbean sea whip, Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae
Uses of southeast Florida coral reefs
Uses of southeast Florida coral reefs Because of the proximity of the reef tract and multiple benefits, the upper Florida reef tract is heavily used Parts of the reef are located as close as one mile from the shoreline Uses of the coral reef and associated habitats include: Fishing Diving and snorkeling Boating Surfing, kiteboarding, paddle boarding, kayaking, and other water sports
Uses of southeast Florida coral reefs Many of the 30 million visitors and 6 million residents use southeast Florida’s coral reefs and associated coastal and marine resources Activities undertaken on or adjacent to the reefs start with beach visitation, which is among the most popular tourism attractions 100 for visitors and residents 90 80 alike Percentage 70 60 In a 2005 AA 2 project, we 50 40 found that many beach 30 20 visitors in four SE FL 10 0 beaches undertook water- Swim Snorkel/dive Boat Sail Surf Kayak Glassbottom Fish based activities Activity SB FLB SI JB Total
Uses of southeast Florida coral reefs � � � Commercial and for-hire fishing The following maps from project FDOU 10 show areas of use among charter and commercial fishers The areas fished for the most part cover the reef tract, showing the dependence of the fisheries on the coral reef habitat
Uses of southeast Florida coral reefs 45 40 35 30 Percentage 25 Targeted Most important 20 15 10 5 0 Nearshore Reef Offshore Highly Other migratory Species group As part of FDOU 10, recreational fishers reported on their target species While offshore species were the most important species and most often targeted, 30% targeted reef fish on their fishing trips and almost a third considered reef fish their most important species
Uses of southeast Florida coral reefs Diving and snorkeling (dive operations) Use, as can be expected, was limited to shallow water for a majority of dive and snorkel trips Use patterns data showed that trips were taken to nearby locations unless for specialized trips An average of 263 trips taken per year by operation, with more trips taken to natural than artificial reefs �
Uses of southeast Florida coral reefs Boating Trends in total registered vessels in southeast Florida, 1964-2001. (a.) Total number of registered recreational and commercial vessels. (b.) Number of registered commercial vessels by county. (c.) Number of registered recreational vessels by county
Uses of southeast Florida coral reefs Boating A 2008-09 study conducted by Behringer et al. evaluated vessel use via the identification of vessel use patterns in the region The study used aerial surveys to ascertain vessel locations and attributes, analyze use data for patterns, and to develop a GIS framework to facilitate visualization and analysis of use patterns relative to natural reefs
METHODS 1) Flew south to north for consistency during peak boating hours (9am – 4 pm) 2) Recorded GPS location and attributes for each vessel: • Class : commercial, recreational, etc. • Activity : fishing, diving, etc. • Size : < 10 m 10 – 20 m > 20 m • Status : anchored, moored, adrift, trolling, underway 3) Use levels: Weekdays (low-use n=3) Weekends (medium-use n=3) Holidays (high-use n=4)
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