Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation

Marine Park Zones (MPZs) have been set up by the Japanese Ministry of Environment around the small island of Ishigaki in the Ryukyu archipelago in the attempt to protect dwindling populations of coral in the area. This study attempts to determine if the management scheme has been successful. By combining field surveys with existing time series data analysis it is shown that the coral reef community appears to grow and decline independently of the MPZ system. Through further analysis of the regulatory regimes the recommendation is made to impose more strict fishing regulation with the goal of allowing the natural ecosystem time to rebound.