Coral unhurt by tsunami – scientists |05 May 2005

Led by Martin Russell of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) the team arrived in Seychelles with three aims; to bolster coral reef monitoring, to work on reef rehabilitation and to assess the damage done by the tsunami.

Working alongside the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the SCMRT-MPA and local dive centre operators, the Australian government funded researchers came away with advice for improved reef monitoring and the welcome news that initial assessments have shown only limited damage done to Seychelles' coral reef ecosystems.

"Indications are that the impact on the coral reefs and fish stock is limited. This needs to be monitored over time, but at this stage we think that the impact is minimal," said Mr Russell.

The Australian scientist added that the risk posed by the tsunami to the sensitive reef environment had highlighted the need to step up reef monitoring work.

He said that it pointed to the need to, "move forward with the monitoring, the information gathering and the management decisions, all geared towards ensuring a robust, resilient system."
Also on the study's work list was an examination of coral reef monitoring.

"There is already a monitoring network in Seychelles and that needs to be moved on to get robust information and then feed that into the management process," he said.

This was followed with a study of the factors which may have an effect upon Seychelles' reefs, such as coastal development and fishing, and ways in which negative impacts could be reduced.

And he said that threats to coral reefs are by no means exclusive to Seychelles.

"This is not unique to Seychelles, all around the world reefs are under pressure, so we are trying to highlight what's being done on the ground and try to move forward," said Mr Russell.

The final report, due out by mid 2005, will be drafted alongside the Seychelles contributors to the study and will be used to build a global vies of the tsunami's impact on reefs and fish stocks.