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Linking Terrigenous Sediment Delivery to Declines in Coral Reef Ecosystem Services

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Abstract

Worldwide coral reef conditions continue to decline despite the valuable socioeconomic benefits of these ecosystems. There is growing recognition that quantifying reefs in terms reflecting what stakeholders value is vital for comparing inherent tradeoffs among coastal management decisions. Terrestrial sediment runoff ranks high as a stressor to coral reefs and is a key concern in Puerto Rico where reefs are among the most threatened in the Caribbean. This research aimed to identify the degree to which sediment runoff impacts production of coral reef ecosystem services and the potential for watershed management actions to improve these services. Ecosystem service production functions were applied to map and translate metrics of ecological reef condition into ecosystem service production under a gradient of increasing sediment delivery. We found that higher sediment delivery decreased provisioning of most ecosystem services, including ecosystem integrity, bioprospecting discovery, and reef-based recreational opportunities and fisheries production. However, shoreline protection and services with a strong contribution from non-reef habitats (e.g., mangroves, seagrasses) were higher in locations with high sediment delivery, although there was a strong inshore effect suggesting the influence of distance to shore, depth, and inshore habitats. Differences among services may indicate potential tradeoffs and the need to consider habitat connectivity, nursery habitat, accessibility, and sediment buffering. The relationships we have identified can be used to link stakeholder values to decision alternatives to ensure continued provisioning of these services and the well-being of communities.

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Acknowledgments

We thank D. Santavy, L. Oliver, and W. Fisher for assisting with the planning of this research and feedback on coral reef monitoring and assessment. We thank K. Oleson and K. Mahoney for their comments which greatly improved this manuscript. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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  1. Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Gulf Ecology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf Breeze, FL, 32561, USA

    Jessica L. Orlando & Susan H. Yee

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  1. Jessica L. Orlando
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Correspondence to Susan H. Yee.

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Communicated by Mark J. Brush

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Orlando, J.L., Yee, S.H. Linking Terrigenous Sediment Delivery to Declines in Coral Reef Ecosystem Services. Estuaries and Coasts 40, 359–375 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-016-0167-0

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