@article{122c0f01ee3846b9b8c6dae8872b8c01,
title = "Coral reefs benefit from reduced land–sea impacts under ocean warming",
abstract = "Coral reef ecosystems are being fundamentally restructured by local human impacts and climate-driven marine heatwaves that trigger mass coral bleaching and mortality1. Reducing local impacts can increase reef resistance to and recovery from bleaching2. However, resource managers lack clear advice on targeted actions that best support coral reefs under climate change3 and sector-based governance means most land- and sea-based management efforts remain siloed4. Here we combine surveys of reef change with a unique 20-year time series of land–sea human impacts that encompassed an unprecedented marine heatwave in Hawai{\textquoteleft}i. Reefs with increased herbivorous fish populations and reduced land-based impacts, such as wastewater pollution and urban runoff, had positive coral cover trajectories predisturbance. These reefs also experienced a modest reduction in coral mortality following severe heat stress compared to reefs with reduced fish populations and enhanced land-based impacts. Scenario modelling indicated that simultaneously reducing land–sea human impacts results in a three- to sixfold greater probability of a reef having high reef-builder cover four years postdisturbance than if either occurred in isolation. International efforts to protect 30% of Earth{\textquoteright}s land and ocean ecosystems by 2030 are underway5. Our results reveal that integrated land–sea management could help achieve coastal ocean conservation goals and provide coral reefs with the best opportunity to persist in our changing climate.",
author = "Gove, {Jamison M.} and Williams, {Gareth J.} and Joey Lecky and Eric Brown and Eric Conklin and Chelsie Counsell and Gerald Davis and Donovan, {Mary K.} and Kim Falinski and Lindsey Kramer and Kelly Kozar and Ning Li and Maynard, {Jeffrey A.} and Amanda McCutcheon and McKenna, {Sheila A.} and Neilson, {Brian J.} and Aryan Safaie and Christopher Teague and Robert Whittier and Asner, {Gregory P.}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank A. Dillon of Aline Designs for graphics support, the numerous divers, boat drivers and support staff from the Hawai{\textquoteleft}i Division of Aquatic Resources, National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy for logistical and data collection support, individuals from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, M. Johnson and R. Doog for their input in determining the golf course nitrogen application rates, R. Longman for contributing updated rainfall data, E. Darling for providing data layers from ref.57, P. Neubauer and Y. Eynaud for analytical advice, W. Walsh for being an early supporter of this effort and J. Link and J. Samhouri for their review of an early version of the manuscript. This research was supported by NOAA{\textquoteright}s Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Program (contribution no. 2022_7), NOAA{\textquoteright}s Fisheries and The Environment Program, NOAA{\textquoteright}s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, and grants from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (grant no. NA16NOS4820059) and National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Habitat Conservation (grant nos. EA133F17SE1203 and NA17NMF4630301) and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation. Funding Information: We thank A. Dillon of Aline Designs for graphics support, the numerous divers, boat drivers and support staff from the Hawai{\textquoteleft}i Division of Aquatic Resources, National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy for logistical and data collection support, individuals from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, M. Johnson and R. Doog for their input in determining the golf course nitrogen application rates, R. Longman for contributing updated rainfall data, E. Darling for providing data layers from ref. , P. Neubauer and Y. Eynaud for analytical advice, W. Walsh for being an early supporter of this effort and J. Link and J. Samhouri for their review of an early version of the manuscript. This research was supported by NOAA{\textquoteright}s Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Program (contribution no. 2022_7), NOAA{\textquoteright}s Fisheries and The Environment Program, NOAA{\textquoteright}s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, and grants from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (grant no. NA16NOS4820059) and National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Habitat Conservation (grant nos. EA133F17SE1203 and NA17NMF4630301) and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023, This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.",
year = "2023",
month = sep,
day = "21",
doi = "10.1038/s41586-023-06394-w",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "621",
pages = "536--542",
journal = "Nature",
issn = "0028-0836",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
number = "7979",
}