Seychelles UK 20032005

1
Small Island States Why are Coral Reefs Important
to us?
Rolph Payet, 2003
2
From Where ?

• Coral Reefs or Islands- which came first?
• Volcanic Islands Fringing/Barrier
  Reefs....Atolls
• Coral Islands Carbonate deposits, sand cays and
  Reefs
• Granitic Islands Fringing reefs
• There is still a number of unanswered questions
  and theories, however it is clear that
• many islands would not exist without corals, and
  reefs would not be as wide spread without islands.

3
Global Importance

• Diversity of coral reefs are much higher around
  islands than along continental coasts
• Islands are important stepping stones in
  maintaining global populations and diversity of
  reefs
• 40 of the worlds coral reefs are found around
  islands
• 60,000 km2, or 21 of global total of coral reefs
  areas lie within SIDS

4
Living Coral Island Life
5
Dead Coral Island Poverty

• Major Threats to Coral Reefs
• Direct Human Pollution, Sedimentation,
  Destructive Fishing, Diseases, Reclamation
• Indirect Human Climate Change, Bleaching,
  Invasive Species
• Natural UV, Long-term Cycles in the earths
  system

6
Status of Reefs in SIDS
7
Why a resolution ?

• Recognise the importance of coral reefs to
  islands
• Continued increase in direct threats through lack
  of political will, capacity and monitoring
• Continued increase in indirect threats through
  lack of global consensus to address the issue of
  climate change
• Sustainable development is directly hampered by
  degradation of coral reefs

8
Resolution Overview

• Call upon SIDS to endorse and implement ICRIs
  Call to Action
• Put in place measures to address coral reef
  degradation
• Improve knowledge on the state of reefs
• Recognise the interconnectedness of coral reef
  populations and designing representative
  protected areas networks
• Develop national capacities
• Call upon the international community to support
  tangible coral reef initiatives in Small Island
  States

9
Next Steps

• Adoption by ICRI of the Small Island States
  Resolution
• Presentation of the Adopted Resolution at the 2nd
  Regional AIMS group meeting in early January in
  Seychelles
• Insertion of the resolution in the BPOA10 Work
  programme/theme at the Final Inter-Regional
  Meeting for the SIDS
• Discussion and presentation of the resolution to
  CBD COP in Malaysia (March ?)
• Adoption of the Resolution at the SIDS meeting in
  Mauritius, mid-2004

10
Coral Reef at the Centre of Development in
Seychelles
Credits Roger Bour
11
Coral Reef set aside as World Heritage in
Seychelles
Credits Roger Bour
12
Thank you