Coral Reef Diseases in Lakshadweep
The small stars represent areas of coral reef disease in Lakshadweep islands. The star directly on an island (Kavaratti) represents the pink spot disease in 2002 on large sponge species Porites lutea, on relatively few colonies (ReefGIS). The star below it represents the occurrences of the same disease in 1998 and 1999, on P. lutea and P. compressa, another large coral.
Reasons for Coral Reef Disease
These diseases are likely due to a coral bleaching event due to powerful El Niño wind currents in 1998, which made corals more vulnerable to disease and impacted 40 to 90% of live coral cover. Over time, however, the coral reefs of Lakshadweep have recovered from diseases, with the liver coral cover increasing for most of the islands.
Integrated Local Threat
A way to measure reef health is by evaluating Integrated Local Threat, which integrates reef vulnerability to coastal development, marine pollution, overfishing, and watershed-based pollution. As demonstrated by the following maps, Lakshadweep coral reefs are predicted to experience increasingly higher threats. Despite recovery from coral bleaching events and disease, increasing human population in Lakshadweep without proper management threatens the future of coral reefs.
2011
Integrated Local Threat
2030
Integrated Local Threat
2050
Integrated Local Threat
Stress-Specific Management
To address these potential threats, researchers have created reef maps that demonstrate where vulnerability is the highest and what could be causing it. Maps like these can help in future research and preservation to address specific concerns and needs of the reefs.
