Chagos Environment Network Reports

1. Our submission to the government consultation on whether to establish a Marine Protected Area in the Chagos An extensive document which outlines the Chagos Environment Network’s position in detail, which was submitted to the Foreign Office on 10th February 2010.

2. The Case for a Chagos Marine Reserve
Information on what makes the Chagos such a good candidate for a Marine Reserve, and why we think the government should designate such a Reserve as fully no-take (i.e., one that is closed to commercial fishing and other extractive activities).

3. The Chagos Archipelago: A Unique Scientific and Conservation Opportunity
More information on the values that the Chagos holds for science.

Other Reports & Papers

NEW! Reefs and islands of the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean: why it is the world’s largest no-take marine protected area
C. R. C. Sheppard, M. Ateweberhan, B.W. Bowen, P. Carr, C. A. Chen, C. Clubbe, M. T. Craig,
R. Ebinghaus, J. Eble, N. Fitzsimmons, M. R. Gaither, C-H. Gan, M. Gollock, N. Guzman,
N. A. J. Graham, A. Harris, R. Jones, S. Keshavmurthy, H. Koldewey, C. G.Lundin, J.A. Mortimer,
D. Obura, M. Pfeiffer, A. R. G. Price, S. Purkis, P. Raines, J. W. Readman, B. Riegl, A. Rogers,
M. Schleyer, M. R. D. Seaward, A. L. S. Sheppard, J. Tamelander, J. R. Turner, S. Visram,
C. Vogler, S. Vogt, H. Wolschke, J. M-C. Yang, S-Y. Yang, and C. Yesson. (2012), Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. doi: 10.1002/aqc.1248
Review article including up-to-the-minute science of the Chagos marine reserve, demonstrating why it is so worthy of protection.

1. Protecting the Chagos Archipelago – a last chance for Indian Ocean reefs?
Sheppard, C. (2011) Ocean Challenge, Vol. 18, Summer 2011: Early Online edition
Article in which Charles Sheppard argues for the Chagos as one of the ocean’s remaining “legacy” sites that is both in good condition now and has a chance of remaining so in the future. Many thanks to Ocean Challenge for allowing us to post this early!

2. Potential benefits to fisheries and biodiversity of the Chagos Archipelago/ British Indian Ocean Territory as a no-take marine reserve
Koldewey, H.J., Curnick, D., Harding, S., Harrison, L.R., & Gollack, M. (2010) Marine Pollution Bulletin, doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.10.002
This paper reviews the increasing body of evidence to demonstrate that migratory species can benefit from no-take marine reserves, using Chagos as an example.

3. Marine protected areas and pelagic fishing: The case of the Chagos Archipelago
Sheppard, C.R., (2010) Marine Pollution Bulletin, doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.08.023
Editorial on the ramifications of the new Chagos Marine Reserve in the context of pelagic fisheries.

4. The Consultation Report
The full report produced by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Chagos Consultation Facilitator, giving a full breakdown of the responses received to the consultation and also the overall conclusions upon which the FCO based their decision to declare a Marine Reserve in Chagos.

5. “Marine Conservation in the British Indian Ocean Territory: science issues and opportunities”
Report from a workshop held at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, on 5-6 August 2009.

6. Reef shark declines in remote atolls highlight the need for multi-faceted conservation action.
Graham, N.A, Spalding, M.D, & Sheppard, C.R.C. (2010) Aquatic Conservation, Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
Paper assessing the abundance and composition of reef sharks between 1975-2006 in the Chagos, showing a decline of over 90% in numbers.

7. Chagos feels the pinch: assessment of holothurian (sea cucumber) abundance, illegal harvesting and conservation prospects in British Indian Ocean Territory.
Price, A.R.G, Harris, A., McGowan, A., Vankatachalam, A.J., & Sheppard, C.R.C. (2010) Aquatic Conservation, Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
Paper investigating sea cucumber abundance around exploited atolls and Diego Garcia, which does not suffer from harvesting. The results point to heavy illegal harvesting around the exploited atolls.

8. An unintended experiment in fisheries science: a marine area protected by war results in Mexican waves in fish numbers-at-age
Beare, D., Hölker F., Engelhard G.H., McKenzie, E., & Reid, D.G. (2010) Naturwissenschaften
Study demonstrating how the unintended “no-take” policy that emerged in the North Sea during WWII resulted in an increase of migratory fish species, demonstrating that no-take MPAs can benefit pelagic species.

9. The catastrophic impact of invasive mammalian predators on birds of the UK Overseas Territories: a review and synthesis
Hilton, G.M, & Cuthbert, R.J. (2010) Ibis: The International Journal of Avian Science
This review highlights the enormous loss of avian biodiversity that mammalian predators have caused in the UK Overseas Territories, and the challenges we now face to eradicate the predators and restore bird populations.

10. Acute effects of removing large fish from a near-pristine coral reef
McCauley, D.J., Micheli, F., Young, H.S., Tittensor, D.P, Brumbaugh, D.R., Madin, E.M.P., Holmes, K.E., Smith, J.E., Lotze, H.K., DeSalles, P.A., Arnold, S.N., & Worm, B. (2010) Marine Biology, doi:10.1007/s00227-010-1533-2
It is often difficult to know how degraded marine ecosystems have been affected by the removal of large fish. This paper simulates the effects of overfishing in a near-pristine reef and examines the consequences for the coral reef habitat.

11. Pelagic protected areas: The missing dimension in ocean conservation
Game, E.T., Grantham, H.S., Hobday, A.J., Pressey, R.L., Lombard, A.T., Beckley, L.E., Gjerde, K., Bustamante, R., Possingham, H.P., & Richardson, A.J. (2009) Trends in Ecology and Evolution, doi:10.1016/j.tree.2009.01.011
This paper highlights the small number of pelagic MPAs relative to protected areas for other habitat types, and argues that pelagic MPAs are defensible and feasible instruments for pelagic conservation.

12. No-Take Reserves Protect Coral Reefs from Predatory Starfish
Sweatman, H. (2008) Current Biology 18 (14) R 598-R599
The crown-of-thorns starfish is a predator of corals that is a major management issue on coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific region. This study found that outbreaks were 3.75 times more common in areas open to fishing than those closed to fishing.