Download The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef

The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef:
Environmental Threats
Grace Adams
The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef:
• 2nd largest barrier reef in
the world
• Extends from the
Yucatan Peninsula,
along the coasts of
Belize, to the Bay
Islands of Honduras
• Home to over 500
species of fish
• Threatened by many
environmental factors
Threats:
Global Warming
Rising Temperatures
• Recent years have had record
setting temperatures
• (2005 was hottest year since
accurate records)
• During these summer months,
ocean temperatures rise 1°-2°C
• Average Northern Hemisphere
temperatures have risen 0.6°-0.8°C
in the last 10 years
• Warm waters cause stress to
corals:
• Rising ocean levels (melting ice
sheets)
• Increased hurricanes
• Increased coral bleaching
• Increased acidity
Hurricanes
• Largest most destructive
hurricanes have occurred
in the last 10 years
• Becoming more frequent
and severe
• Stronger hurricanes result
in more wave damage
and flooding, stressing
coral
• coral cover is reduced by approximately
17%, in the Caribbean in the year following a
hurricane impact
Coral Bleaching
• Warm waters cause large-scale bleaching
• Average of 25% of coral bleached in each temperature hot
spot in 2005
• Occurs when symbiotic zooxanthellae (algae)
that provides much of the energy for coral
growth, and coral reef growth is expelled from
host animal.
• Bleached corals starve and
are more susceptible to
disease
• Many bleached corals
eventually die out
Ocean Acidification
• Parallel to climate change
• Increased concentrations of CO2 dissolve in sea water,
reducing pH levels
• Reduces coral’s ability to grow carbonate skeletons
• Results in slower growth and is more vulnerable to erosion
• By the end of this century, acidification may continue at
a rate of 100 times faster
Threats:
Fishing
Fishing
• Main industry in Central
America and Caribbean
• Overfishing, illegal
fishing, and fishing with
inappropriate gear
threatens natural
resources, fish species,
and coral
Overfishing
• Commercial fishing industry
is expanding due to better
technology and increased
demand
• Over-exploitation of many
targeted species such as
shrimp, sharks, and lobster
• Causes ecological
extinctions and loss of
ecosystem function
• Of Belize’s 554 marine and 237
reef-associated fish species,21 of
these species are threatened and
14 are protected under existing
treaties and conventions
Illegal Fishing
• Illegal fishing issues include:
•
•
•
•
Fishing with scuba gear
Use of nets along reefs
Use of traps outside reefs
Taking conch or lobster below the legal
size limit
• Fishing outside of closed seasons
• Although many Central
American countries have laws to
prevent illegal fishing, they are
not adequately enforced
Cyanide Fishing
• Used to stun reef fish in order
to collect them
• Inexpensive and effective
• Illegal in many countries
• Causes damage to
surrounding coral reefs
• Destroys thousands of hectares
each year
• Causes coral bleaching
• Kills both targeted and nontargeted fish as well as corals,
invertebrates, eggs, larvae,
and microorganisms
Protective
Measures
Global Warming
• Energy reduction to limit climate change and greenhouse
effects
Fishing
• Enforce laws and create and infrastructure to monitor
large reef areas
• When at a reef, do not touch the coral or take pieces
home
• World Heritage Sites and marine reserves protect
important areas
Bibliography
Playa del Carmen. (2007). Mesoamerican barrier reef. Retrieved from
http://www.aboutplayadelcarmen.com/playadelcarmen/mesoamericanbarrier-reef.asp
Coral Reef Aliance, Initials. (2010). Caribbean/latin american crsd sites.
Retrieved from http://www.coral.org/where_we_work/caribbean
Gardner, T.A., Cote, I.M., Gill, J.A., Grant, A., & Watkinson, A.R. (2005).
Hurricanes and caribbean coral reefs: impacts, recovery. Unpublished
manuscript, School of Biological Sciences and Environmental Sciences,
University of East Anglia, Norwich, Retrieved from http://www.com.univmrs.fr/~boudouresque/Publications_FLUC_2006_2007/Gardner_et_al_2005
_Ecology.pdf
Wilkinson, C., Souter, D. (2008). Status of Caribbean coral reefs after bleaching
and hurricanes in 2005.Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, and Reef
and Rainforest Research Centre, Townsville, 152 p. Retrieved from
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/status_carib_corals.pdf
Bibliography
World Resources Institute, . (2005). Belize coastal threat atlas [p. 9].
Retrieved from http://pdf.wri.org/belize_threat_atlas.pdf
Belize Institute of Environmental Law and Policy, . (2004, November
15). Petition to the world heritage committee requesting inclusion of
belize barrier reef reserve system. Retrieved from
http://www.law.ufl.edu/conservation/international/pdf/belize.pdf
McClellan, K. (2008). Coral degradation through destructive fishing
practices. The encyclopedia of earth. Retrieved July 9, 2011, from
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Coral_degradation_through_destructiv
e_fishing_practices?topic=4951
Novi Meadows, . (2002). Coral reef. Retrieved from
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/coral_reef.htm