BASCH, L.V.; University of Hawai’i, Manoa, National Park Service: Marine Conservation Science: Examples in a Network of National Parks and Marine Protected Areas in Hawai�i

The persistence of benthic ecosystems including coral reefs and their component species depends on natural processes affecting the replacement of adult individuals within populations by young life stages (animal larvae or algal spores). Recruitment is defined as the processes by which young individuals enter and inhabit the system. Recruitment of marine organisms typically varies naturally at different time and space scales. However, disturbances, resource exploitation and environmental impacts can limit recruitment and the persistence of species of key ecological, economic or cultural importance. A set of integrative studies in progress are described that address questions of recruitment limitation and connectivity for several marine populations in a network of National Parks and Marine Protected Areas on the Kona coast of the island of Hawai`i. Preliminary results will be presented based on complimentary approaches including basic ecological surveys, natural chemical or genetic tags, oceanographic current measurements, remote sensing and GIS, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.