Biodiversity Research on Coral Reef and Island Ecosystems: Scientific Cooperation in the Pacific Region1

An international symposium entitled ‘‘Tropical Island Ecosystems and Sustainable Development’’ was held during 2–7 December 2006 in cooperation with three institutions: 21st Century COE (Center of Excellence) Program of University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan (UR), Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l’Environment, French Polynesia (CRIOBE), and Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station of University of California, Berkeley, French Polynesia (GUMP).

The event was timely for the Pacific region, where natural environments, including coral reef and island ecosystems, are increasingly disturbed by human activities. Cooperative science-based projects are urgently required for the conservation and sustainable use of insular ecosystems. Global climate change is having its most dramatic and immediate impact on polar regions and low-lying tropical islands. In the Pacific, phenomena such as increasing ocean temperatures and rising sea levels have impacts on coral reef ecosystems that are undoubtedly serious but remain insufficiently understood. Coral bleaching is probably one of the gravest consequences of climate change, with current bleaching events reported occurring widely with destructive results for coral reef ecosystems. In addition to rising temperatures, global carbon dioxide emissions and the potential acidification of oceans could add to the devastation of coral reefs. Furthermore, coral diseases have been reported recently in many reefs, and these might also be related to the current environmental deterioration. More research is needed to understand the local impact of global changes on small island ecosystems; only then can effective approaches be developed to protect and restore degraded habitats. There is no time for delay if coral reefs are to recover their healthy condition and to maintain the ecosystem function and services on which so many Pacific societies depend.

Another worldwide trend that has particularly important impacts on island ecosystems is the rapid increase in trade and travel (globalization), which spreads species to new geographic locations. Islands, which by definition evolved in relative isolation, are particularly threatened by invasive species. The most dramatic and tragic effects of biological invasions are already well documented for terrestrial island ecosystems; however, what makes some species more damaging and some systems more resistant or resilient to invasions is unclear. Islands represent a unique opportunity (a natural laboratory) to address this issue; they are also the places where its resolution is of far more than academic interest.

In addition to the impacts of globalization and climate change, there are more direct threats associated with increasing human population pressure on natural resources. Over the last 100 years, the human population has doubled worldwide and tripled in Japan. This explosive rate of growth far exceeds that of the past 10–15 centuries and has severely taxed global resources. For example, to meet food demands, the fishing industry has harvested larger catches, ignoring the rules and balances of nature, and resulting in overfishing and great disturbance to fishery grounds. Human activities on land have degraded terrestrial ecosystems through habitat destruction. Consequences include not only the irreversible loss of endemic species from ‘‘biodiversity hotspots’’ but also the erosion of human cultural diversity (which is often tightly linked to its unique natural heritage). Unsustainable terrestrial development also threatens marine systems through large inflows of exogenous materials and fine particles to coastal zones and the eutrophication of some reefs. Such conditions have allowed increased population growth of algal species, which has also tipped coral reef systems toward a new ecological equilibrium that does not favor human well-being. Most seriously and devastatingly, some coral reefs have become the targets of ‘‘reclamation’’ projects and have disappeared completely.

Sustainable use for coral reef and island ecosystems must be the most important and urgent challenge facing the tropical and subtropical Pacific regions. It is obvious that solutions must involve a much greater understanding of biodiversity and its relationship to human society; more cooperative research in the Pacific region is an urgent priority.

In Japan, the 21st Century COE Program has been promoted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology since 2002 to establish global research and education centers based on the principle of competition and...