the mesoamerican barrier reef
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The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef
By: Natasha Grech
FACTSThe Mesoamerican reef spans over 900
kilometersIt is home to over 65 species of stony coral
and over 500 species of fishThe reef gives protection from storms and
costal erosionCostal societies depend on it for economic
support, such as the tourism industry and fishing
It is under extreme threat
SO WHAT ARE THE SEVERE THREATS TO THE CORAL OF THE MESOAMERICAN REEF AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SAVE THIS
GIANT HABITAT?
Global warmingGlobal Warming: “an increase in the earth's
average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect.” – Dictionary.com
Global warming also causes more severe storms and a rise in water temperatures in oceans around the world
This can be a major threat to the Mesoamerican barrier reef because higher water temperatures cause coral bleaching
What is Coral Bleaching?Coral bleaching: “Coral bleaching results when the
symbiotic zooxanthellae (single-celled algae) are released from the original host coral organism due to stress” -Sciencedaily.com
It is basically the loss of algae (zooxanthellae) that exists with the coral and provides it with food
Without these essential zooxanthellae, the coral becomes a bleached or white colour because they are what provide the coral with much of their colour
This occurs when ocean temperatures rise 2 – 3 degrees F in a shorter amount of time, because of global warming
Once the coral expels the zooxanthellae, it will start to die from lack of nourishment if high temperatures continue
Impacts of Coral BleachingCoral bleaching threatens all the organisms that depend on
the reef: Species that use corals as a habitat and food (fish, mammoth
whale shark, endangered salt water crocodile) Local communities that depend on the reef for food, income,
and tourist businessesAs well as, it weakens the reef, meaning less shoreline
protection from storms and erosionOther impacts of coral bleaching are; a loss of coral
islands, a decline in species diversity and changes in the overall reef communities
FishingMore aggressive fishing methods such as
overfishing and cyanide fishing can harm coral reefs
Fishermen use dynamite and inject cyanide into water because this is a simpler method of catching fish, but also severely damages coral
A less obvious harmful fishing method is overfishing
OverfishingOverfishing: To much fishing resulting in the
depletion of certain species in an areaThis can effect the reefs species biodiversity and
ecological balanceIt causes a disruption in the natural underwater
food chain. Taking one part out will effect all the other species as well
In the Mesoamerican barrier reef, overfishing is depleting populations of lobster, conch, and finfish
A possible solution for this is stricter control of fishing regulations in off-seasons and illegal fishing
Conservation - WWFHas worked with the Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras
governments since the mid-1980’s to create marine reserves, protect and preserve the Mesoamerican reef system
WWF has also implemented several public awareness campaigns Sea turtle conservation, fisheries management and marine
protected areasWWF is researching the impact of climate change, altered
rainfall and coral bleachingHas implemented the Mesoamerican Reef’s Marine Protected
Areas ProgramHelps to protect the region’s resources for wildlife and local
communitiesWWF collaborates with local fishermen to wipe out destructive
fishing practices and implement sustainable ones
WWF – The Lobster ExpeditionOne of the current conservation measures WWF is
implementing is the Lobster ExpeditionThis is to prevent the overfishing of lobsters – one of the
most serious threats is the catch of juvenile lobsters which are illegal to catch under Honduran law
WWF and Darden Restaurants worked together to test a more environmentally friendly lobster trap that lets the juvenile lobsters escape but catch the ones used in restaurants
They conducted an experiment of 5 different fishing boats with 7 different trap designs
The lobster trap they tested and perfected is now required for all lobster fishermen
References "The Atlantic Ocean's largest coral reef." WWF. Web. 7 July 2011.
<www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/mesoamericanreef/ >. "WWF - Mesoamerican Reef - Surveying climate change impacts on Central America's coral reefs." World
Wildlife Fund - Wildlife Conservation, Endangered Species Conservation. Web. 7 July 2011. <http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/mesoamericanreef/surveyingclimatechangeimpacts.html>
"Coral Reefs: Bleaching Impacts." Reef Resilience: Building Resilience into Coral Reef Conservation. Web. 7 July 2011. <http://www.reefresilience.org/Toolkit_Coral/C2c0_BleachImpacts.html>
"Global warming | Define Global warming at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 7 July 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/global+warming>
"Coral bleaching." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. Web. 7 July 2011. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/c/coral_bleaching.htm>
"Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority :: What is Coral Bleaching." Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority :: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA). Web. 7 July 2011. <http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/key_issues/climate_change/climate_change_and_the_great_barrier_reef/what_is_coral_bleaching>
"Coral Reefs." Exploring the Environment. Web. 7 July 2011. <http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/coralreef/CRanthro.html>
"WWF - Mesoamerican Reef > The Lobster Expedition - The Lobster Expedition - Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras." World Wildlife Fund - Wildlife Conservation, Endangered Species Conservation. Web. 7 July 2011. <http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/mesoamericanreef/lobsterexpedition1.html>
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