Projet Track Changes 2

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TRANSFORMATION OF COASTAL MARINE ECOSYSTEMS IN THE FACE OF GLOBAL CHANGE

PROJECT SUMMARY

Coastal marine ecosystems play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and provide a wide range of ecosystem services to human populations. These ecological functions are particularly crucial in tropical regions where coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds are home to exceptional biodiversity and coexist with human populations whose destinies are closely linked to those of the ecosystems.

However, coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds are suffering from the increasing effects of global change and are in decline across the planet. However, not all ecosystems are equally exposed and vulnerable to change, and understanding how environmental conditions shape these ecosystems is essential to elucidating the mechanisms underlying resilience.

The objective of the Track Changes project is to assess the response of coastal marine ecosystems to global change, using the New Caledonian reef system as a case study. It is based on two complementary areas of scientific investigation, one looking to the past using historical knowledge, the other looking to the future with the development of innovative technological monitoring tools. A third, parallel area, of a more institutional nature, focuses on decision support (Fig. 1).

This highly collaborative initiative provides a solid empirical basis for developing and implementing sustainable ecosystem management in an increasingly anthropized world (Fig. 2).

This work is based on a compilation of all available historical and contemporary data on habitat distribution and species abundance. To contribute to the Track Changes project, please contact the project leader, Mohsen Kayal (mohsen.kayal@ird.fr).

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Fig. 1. Graphical summary of the Track Changes project illustrating the three areas of action: (1) analysis of long-term ecosystem trajectories based on multi-source data produced by various actors, (2) multi-scale characterization of ecosystem functioning, and (3) decision support.

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Fig. 2. Diagram illustrating the collaborative approach of the Track Changes project throughout the knowledge production and decision-making chain. It shows all the societal actors involved in the observation and management of the marine environment in New Caledonia, including the public sector (elected officials, academics), the private sector (industry, consulting firms, NGOs), and civil society (individuals, participatory science associations).