Diving and Global Environmental Change: A Mauritius Case Study

Abstract

Coral reefs are a major attraction to divers and snorkellers throughout the tropics, and are consequently of significant economic value (Cesar & van Beukering, 2004; White & Rosales, 2003). Coral reef ecosystems are characterised by high biodiversity and relatively high productivity. Coral reefs thrive in clear water with relatively high temperatures and closed nutrient cycles. However, over the past three decades a number of factors have caused increasing stress to coral reefs. These include destructive fishing methods on or near coral reefs, and various forms of pollution from land-based activities such as agriculture, forestry and construction (Wilkinson, 2004). Phenomena such as El Nino and global climate change, leading to increasing surface water temperatures, can cause additional stress to coral reefs. This has in many areas led to coral bleaching, a phenomenon occurring when symbiotic zooxanthelae residing within scleractinian corals are lost. As a consequence of these developments, coral reefs are now being damaged or destroyed at an increasing rate all around the world (Linden, Souter, Wilhelmsson, & Obura, 2002; Linden & Sporrong, 1999; Wilkinson et al., 1999).