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Use of local ecological knowledge in the management of algal blooms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2010

THOMAS A. SCHLACHER ,
STEWART LLOYD  and
AARON WIEGAND
THOMAS A. SCHLACHER*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science, Health and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, QLD 4458, Australia
STEWART LLOYD
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science, Health and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, QLD 4458, Australia
AARON WIEGAND
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science, Health and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, QLD 4458, Australia
*
*Correspondence: Dr Thomas Schlacher Tel +61 7 5430 2847 Fax +61754301276 e-mail: tschlach@usc.edu.au
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Summary

More frequent and severe algal blooms are symptomatic of increasing ecosystem stress in coastal waters. Economic losses typically follow and local governments are forced to ‘manage’ this issue. Because many blooms are not monitored, local ecological knowledge (LEK) and oral history are the only practical tools to obtain data on bloom characteristics and identify their drivers. LEK was applied to outbreaks of brown algae on popular tourist beaches in south-east Queensland (Australia). Structured interviews with local citizens who had a close and frequent connection with the ocean provided 541 bloom records, which showed that blooms are regional (≥400 km) rather than local, and that they are a historical (≥40 years) rather than a recent phenomenon. LEK frequently cited that particular wind regimes coincided with the arrival of blooms, but this could not be verified by statistical cross-validation with empirical data. Harnessing LEK was valuable in engaging citizens, in generating testable hypotheses about plume causes, in providing a previously unrecognized historical perspective and in identifying the correct spatial scale of the issue. Multi-pronged approaches will be most effective in addressing blooms where local mitigation actions are combined with broader regional coastal environmental conservation efforts.

Keywords

algal bloomscommunity-based environmental planningeutrophicationmitigationoral history
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , June 2010 , pp. 210 - 221
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2010

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