Low impacts of coral bleaching in 2024 on the underwater pinnacles from Krabi Province, the Andaman Sea
Keywords:
coral bleaching, citizen science, conservation, resilience, underwater pinnacleAbstract
Coral reefs are confronting some of the most severe and immediate dangers due to climate change, which is resulting in coral bleaching. Citizen science has emerged as an innovative data source that can be integrated into the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. The objective of this study was to assess impacts of coral bleaching in 2024 on underwater pinnacles in Krabi Province, the Andaman Sea, by incorporating local citizen scientists. The results showed that the underwater pinnacles displayed a coral bleaching prevalence of only 13-18%, which was lower at the Hin Chao Mae compared to the Hin Chorakhe. Nine coral species experienced bleaching, with Montipora aequituberculata, Acropora hyacinthus, and Porites lutea found bleached at both study locations. This information reflects the high resilience and potential refuge of coral populations on Hin Chao Mae and Hin Chorakhe. Effective management strategies, particularly marine protected areas, resilience-based (RMB) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), are crucial for protecting the underwater pinnacles studied. These approaches can support policies to conserve 30% of the world's oceans by 2030 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
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