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Reefs and islands of the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean: why it is the world's largest no-take marine protected area

  1. C. R. C. Sheppard1,*,
  2. M. Ateweberhan1,
  3. B. W. Bowen2,
  4. P. Carr3,
  5. C. A. Chen4,
  6. C. Clubbe5,
  7. M. T. Craig6,
  8. R. Ebinghaus7,
  9. J. Eble2,
  10. N. Fitzsimmons8,
  11. M. R. Gaither2,
  12. C-H. Gan4,
  13. M. Gollock9,
  14. N. Guzman10,
  15. N. A. J. Graham11,
  16. A. Harris1,
  17. R. Jones9,
  18. S. Keshavmurthy4,
  19. H. Koldewey9,
  20. C. G. Lundin12,
  21. J. A. Mortimer13,
  22. D. Obura14,
  23. M. Pfeiffer15,
  24. A. R. G. Price1,
  25. S. Purkis16,
  26. P. Raines17,
  27. J. W. Readman18,
  28. B. Riegl16,
  29. A. Rogers19,
  30. M. Schleyer20,
  31. M. R. D Seaward21,
  32. A. L. S. Sheppard1,
  33. J. Tamelander22,
  34. J. R. Turner23,
  35. S. Visram4,
  36. C. Vogler24,
  37. S. Vogt25,
  38. H. Wolschke7,
  39. J. M-C. Yang4,
  40. S-Y. Yang4,
  41. C. Yesson9

Article first published online: 17 JAN 2012

DOI: 10.1002/aqc.1248

Issue

Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems

Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems

Volume 22, Issue 2, pages 232–261, March 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Sheppard, C. R. C., Ateweberhan, M., Bowen, B. W., Carr, P., Chen, C. A., Clubbe, C., Craig, M. T., Ebinghaus, R., Eble, J., Fitzsimmons, N., Gaither, M. R., Gan, C.-H., Gollock, M., Guzman, N., Graham, N. A. J., Harris, A., Jones, R., Keshavmurthy, S., Koldewey, H., Lundin, C. G., Mortimer, J. A., Obura, D., Pfeiffer, M., Price, A. R. G., Purkis, S., Raines, P., Readman, J. W., Riegl, B., Rogers, A., Schleyer, M., Seaward, M. R. D., Sheppard, A. L. S., Tamelander, J., Turner, J. R., Visram, S., Vogler, C., Vogt, S., Wolschke, H., Yang, J. M.-C., Yang, S.-Y. and Yesson, C. (2012), Reefs and islands of the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean: why it is the world's largest no-take marine protected area. Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst., 22: 232–261. doi: 10.1002/aqc.1248

Author Information

  1. 1

    School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK

  2. 2

    Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, Kane'ohe, Hawai'i., USA

  3. 3

    BF BIOT, Diego Garcia, UK

  4. 4

    Biodiversity Research Centre, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

  5. 5

    Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

  6. 6

    Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Mayaguez, PR

  7. 7

    Department for Environmental Chemistry, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Zentrum für Material- und Küstenforschung GmbH, Geesthacht I, Germany

  8. 8

    Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Australia

  9. 9

    Zoological Society of London, London, UK

  10. 10

    Nestor Guzman: NAVFACFE PWD DG Environmental

  11. 11

    ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia

  12. 12

    IUCN Marine Programme, Gland, Switzerland

  13. 13

    Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

  14. 14

    CORDIO East Africa, Mombasa, Kenya

  15. 15

    RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

  16. 16

    National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University, Oceanographic Center, Dania Beach, FL, USA

  17. 17

    Coral Cay Conservation, London, UK

  18. 18

    Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, UK

  19. 19

    Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

  20. 20

    Oceanographic Research Institute, Durban, South Africa

  21. 21

    Division of Archaeological, Geographical and Environmental Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK

  22. 22

    UNEP Division of Environmental Policy Implementation, UN, Bangkok, Thailand

  23. 23

    School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Anglesey, UK

  24. 24

    Department für Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften Paläontologie & Geobiologie, Ludwig- Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany

  25. 25

    Naval Facilities Engineering Command Far East, USA

*C. R. C. Sheppard, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, UK. E-mail: charles.sheppard@warwick.ac.uk

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 4 APR 2012
  2. Article first published online: 17 JAN 2012
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 14 NOV 2011
  4. Manuscript Revised: 31 OCT 2011
  5. Manuscript Received: 4 AUG 2011

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Keywords:

  • Chagos;
  • British Indian Ocean Territory;
  • marine protected area;
  • coral recovery;
  • reef fishes;
  • seamounts;
  • reef disease;
  • marine invasives;
  • fisheries;
  • island conservation

ABSTRACT

  1. The Chagos Archipelago was designated a no-take marine protected area (MPA) in 2010; it covers 550 000 km2, with more than 60 000 km2 shallow limestone platform and reefs. This has doubled the global cover of such MPAs.
  2. It contains 25–50% of the Indian Ocean reef area remaining in excellent condition, as well as the world's largest contiguous undamaged reef area. It has suffered from warming episodes, but after the most severe mortality event of 1998, coral cover was restored after 10 years.
  3. Coral reef fishes are orders of magnitude more abundant than in other Indian Ocean locations, regardless of whether the latter are fished or protected.
  4. Coral diseases are extremely low, and no invasive marine species are known.
  5. Genetically, Chagos marine species are part of the Western Indian Ocean, and Chagos serves as a ‘stepping-stone’ in the ocean.
  6. The no-take MPA extends to the 200 nm boundary, and. includes 86 unfished seamounts and 243 deep knolls as well as encompassing important pelagic species.
  7. On the larger islands, native plants, coconut crabs, bird and turtle colonies were largely destroyed in plantation times, but several smaller islands are in relatively undamaged state.
  8. There are now 10 ‘important bird areas’, coconut crab density is high and numbers of green and hawksbill turtles are recovering.
  9. Diego Garcia atoll contains a military facility; this atoll contains one Ramsar site and several ‘strict nature reserves’. Pollutant monitoring shows it to be the least polluted inhabited atoll in the world. Today, strict environmental regulations are enforced.
  10. Shoreline erosion is significant in many places. Its economic cost in the inhabited part of Diego Garcia is very high, but all islands are vulnerable.
  11. Chagos is ideally situated for several monitoring programmes, and use is increasingly being made of the archipelago for this purpose.

Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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