A new judging tower being built in the coral lagoon of Te Aupoo, Tahiti in preparation for the 2024 Olympic surfing competition poses a threat to coral reefs and their ecosystems, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Hawaii. With community partners revealed: University of Manoa, University of Hilo, Arizona State University and Tahiti.
A study published in the journal Remote Sensing assessed the importance of protecting coral reefs.
There is an existing judging tower used by the World Surf League, but organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics will invest about $5 million to add amenities for the judges, including restrooms, air conditioning, and a capacity of 40 people. The plan is to build a significantly larger tower with more features.
“We hope that the International Olympic Committee, appropriate government officials, and the larger international community will ensure that this impact not only affects valuable coral reef habitat, but also the local communities that depend on this reef for their livelihoods and well-being. “I hope people understand how devastating it can be for people,” said the study's lead author, University of Hilo associate professor of marine science and data science, and member of the MEGA Lab. said one John Burns.
In addition to assessing the reef, the researchers mapped the lagoon areas where the reef is being dredged to accommodate barge transport of tower materials. This dredging could directly impact an area of the reef about half the size of a football field.
This could result in at least $1.3 million in damage to living coral reef habitat.
The team's impact estimates are conservative and consider only direct impacts, including potential economic impacts on communities dependent on these resources and the wider lagoon if water quality is affected. Regional impacts are not included.
Researchers worked with community members in Vai Ala O Teaupoo and used 3D photogrammetry techniques to create high-resolution habitat maps of the three locations affected by dredging and tower construction.
The resulting mosaics were analyzed to quantify species diversity, the number of coral colonies, the size of coral colonies, and the percentage of the ocean floor covered with live corals and other organisms.
Data show that these sites support healthy and diverse coral communities and contribute to the ecological functioning of Teupoo's larger reef system. In the area where the tower will be located alone, 1,003 corals of 20 species have been identified, indicating that the site is thriving.
“The value of these creatures is never fully expressed through the lens of capitalism, but based on U.S. assessments used by the Hawaii Department of Aquatic Resources, our data shows that the value of this small portion of the reef is The value of the coral and algae alone is estimated to be worth at least $170,000,” said study co-author Haunani Kane, assistant professor of geosciences at UH Mānoa and member of the MEGA Lab. Ta.
Another study co-author, Cliff Kapono, an assistant professor at Arizona State University and a member of the MEGA Lab, said the research team hopes that information on the ecological impacts of tower construction and community concerns will be re-evaluated. He said he was looking forward to it.
“There are alternatives to building a new tower, such as using the existing tower that the World Surf League uses for competition,” Kapono said.
