Influence of conservation education dive briefings as a management tool on the timing and nature of recreational SCUBA diving impacts on coral reefs

Abstract

This study investigated the frequency and timing of physical impacts SCUBA divers have with the coral reefs in Key Largo, and whether these impacts are accidental or deliberate. Our study looks at the timing of diver interactions and how these can be managed. We also investigated the importance of diver conservation education and the value of conservational programmes in the Florida Keys as a user management tool.

We used a triangulated method of direct observation, questionnaires and dive briefing analysis. The study took place over a three-month period from June until August 2010 in the John Pennekamp State Park Key Largo, Florida. 97% of the divers observed (n = 83) physically interacted with the reef during their dive. Most contacts were accidental and were concentrated in the initial part of the dive. More in depth conservation education dive briefings significantly reduced the number of impacts divers made. Divers from the operator with conservation centred briefings impacted the reef significantly less with 0.16 ± 0.08 (mean ± SE) touches per minute compared with 0.37 ± 0.06 (mean ± SE) for the other charters. Our findings highlight the importance of conservational initiatives and improved conservational briefings on board dive charters. Gathering data on anthropogenic influences, like SCUBA divers, provides reef managers with vital information that can be used in reef management.

Introduction

Coral reefs have unique biodiversity and provide important ecological ecosystem services. However, concern surrounding the depletion of the world’s coral reefs is mounting. An assessment by 96 countries on 372 reefs in 2008 concluded that 19% of the world’s coral reefs have been lost since 1950 and that 15% is at a critical risk, with an additional 20% under serious threat of being lost within the next 10–20 years (GCRMN, 2008). Pollution, over fishing and climate change are major factors contributing to the decline in survivorship, reproduction and growth-rates of corals (Brown, 1997, Gardner et al., 2003, Hughes et al., 2003, Mumby et al., 2007). Decline in the health of coral reefs has also been linked to the recreational diving industry (Shivlani and Suman, 2000, Uyarra and Côté, 2006, Van Beukering and Ceser, 2004).

A global response to the decline in coral health and cover has been the formation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The success of an MPA is dependent on several factors, including both environmental conditions and local support. Although there is much debate about the effectiveness of MPAs, one measure of some success has been an increase in marine tourism (Weaver, 2008); in particular, SCUBA diving. SCUBA diving generates significant financial gain for many coastal communities with the Florida Keys being no exception, welcoming around 800,000 SCUBA divers and snorkelers each year (Mintel, 2003). The Florida Keys is home to a large MPA known as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) which protects over 18,000 square miles of marine habitats (NOAA, 2010b). However, the reefs are still under threat as increases in coral bleaching and disease have been recorded over the last 20 years (NOAA, 2010b).

Initially, it was argued that SCUBA diving had little impact on coral reefs (Hawkins and Roberts, 2003, Talge, 1992). However, more recent studies by Schleyer and Tomalin (2000) and Uyarra et al. (2009) have found that SCUBA diving activities can negatively affect coral reefs. The cumulative effect of diving can leave corals more susceptible to other background pressures such as disease (Hawkins and Roberts, 1992, Medio et al., 1997, Tratalos and Austin, 2001). The effect that diving has on a reef depends on diver activity, the type of coral that is damaged and its life cycle. Such damage includes breakage, abrasions and sedimentation effects. Coral polyps can easily be damaged by touch; such damage is deliberate, but probably due to inability to correctly identify coral and ignorance of its fragility. Green and Hendry (1999) found that non-specialists were only able to accurately identify three out of ten coral species with 67% accuracy; demonstrating how challenging it can be to identify corals. Coral breakage is normally the result of a fin kick, with branching coral being most susceptible to this type of damage (Harriott et al., 1997, Rouphael and Inglis, 1997). Abrasion damage breaks corals’ protective tissue membranes, rendering them more susceptible to disease. Sedimentation damage can occur by divers increasing the water turbidity resulting in complete or partial burial of coral polyps (Meyer and Holland, 2009). Nugues and Roberts (2003) found that sedimentation can facilitate algal growth over coral, which can contribute to phase-shift from a coral dominated to an algae dominated ecosystem.

Previous studies have identified different factors that can influence the impact SCUBA divers have on a reef. Gender bias was identified by Rouphael and Inglis (2001), who found that male divers were more likely to interact with the reef. However, Uyarra and Côté (2006) found that women made more contact with the reef. The use of photographic equipment by divers was found by Rouphael and Inglis (2001) and Uyarra and Côté (2006) to increase the chance of divers’ touching with the reef. Additionally, the level of diving experience may or may not affect the number of contacts divers have with the reef with Di Franco et al., 2009, Hawkins and Roberts, 1992 and Rouphael and Inglis (2001) finding conflicting correlations. The topography and conditions can also affect how often a diver interacts with the reef (Hawkins and Roberts, 1992, Hawkins et al., 1999).

Education has been identified as a means of reducing diver impacts on the reef (Barker and Roberts, 2004, Davis and Tisdell, 1996, Hawkins and Roberts, 1992, Thapa et al., 2005). Improving divers understanding of actual and potential threats can install environmentally responsible behaviour (Rouphael and Inglis, 2001). Hannak et al. (2011) found that 95.6% of divers in the Northern Red Sea believed that an informative dive briefing on proper dive behaviour would be a beneficial management tool. Also, Medio et al. (1997) found that an environmental briefing reduced the number of contacts over a seven minute period from 1.4 to 0.4 touches. Projects like PADI AWARE, and REEF identification courses are all educational programmes for divers that can potentially increase diver education. Also, initiatives like the Blue Star programme that encourage dive masters to incorporate conservation education into their dive briefings are potential tools for reducing diver impacts on the reefs. Understanding when and how divers interact with the reef is important in presenting management options to minimise diver-caused damage.

In an attempt to protect the coral reefs and their biodiversity the FKNMS has limited certain activities and has considered the reefs’ carrying capacity (Mumby et al., 2007). The FKNMS has a detailed mooring buoy management plan that aims to limit resource damage. Feedback from local dive shops is important in determining user needs which are a primary factor in determining the placement of the mooring buoys (NOAA, 2010b). Also, NOAA has an education and outreach action plan with the goal to increase public awareness of the marine resources and what is impacting them (NOAA, 2010b). NOAA has identified that educating users of the FKNMS is important, as the economy relies on tourism with 1.2 billion US dollars spent annually by visitors. Many of these visitors come to experience the beauty of the coral reefs by SCUBA diving or snorkelling (NOAA, 2010b). Also, the use of artificial reefs to relieve the pressure on natural reefs has been tested in the Florida Keys with the sinking of the USS Spiegel Grove. Leeworthy et al. (2006) found that the sinking of USS Spiegel Grove decreased the pressure on local, natural reefs while increasing diving business. Despite all of these efforts, little information still exists on the impact of SCUBA divers on the reefs and ways these impacts can be effectively managed.

In this study, we observed 83 divers from four dive charters in Key Largo, Florida, to determine the frequency and timing of their impacts with the coral reef. We tested the impact of depth of conservation education presented in dive briefings on diver behaviour.