Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2000

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Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000 Localised shallow reefs, primarily in Guanaja, were damaged by the hurricane, while bleaching and disease affected deep reefs in the Bay Islands. Coral cover at 9 sites in Utila, Roatan, and Guanaja ranged from 13 to 33%, with 50 to 80% of coral colonies showing some partial mortality between 34 to 73% of the surface. Algae covered ranged between 52 and 85%. Nicaragua The coast is fairly remote with limited access, therefore it has not received intensive human use or scientific attention. Increased deforestation has resulted in higher sediment loads which are IMPACTS OF HURRICANE MITCH ON THE MBRS This region has a long history of hurricanes damaging the coral reefs; some major, some minor. Hurricane Gilbert (1988) caused severe damage to shallow reefs along the Yucatan peninsula; Hurricane Haiti (1961) and Greta (1978) were two of the most significant storms to hit the central coast of Belize; and Hurricane Fifi (1974) devastated the coast of Honduras. But then came Hurricane Mitch; a Category 5 hurricane with sustained wind speeds over 250km per hour, which battered the Caribbean coast and parts of Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala between Oct. 27 - Nov. 1, 1998. It killed over 11,000 people and destroyed more than 50% of the infrastructure in Honduras. Hurricane Mitch is considered one of the largest and deadliest tropical cyclones in the Caribbean this century. Moreover, it stalled for over 48 hours over the Bay Island of Guanaja, and hurricane force winds destroyed houses and denuded pine and mangrove forests. Large storm swells smashed on the Belize barrier and southern Yucatan. The extent and type of damage to coral reefs varied depending on location, species present, and architectural complexity. Results from a large-scale survey to assess Hurricane Mitch’s impact on barrier and fore reefs at 151 sites found: • Greatest damage on Belize barrier (29% of shallow corals and 5% of fore reef corals damaged); • Guanaja (22%) had more damage than Roatan (13%), Utila (8%), and Cayos Cochinos (5%); • Southern Yucatan (11% shallow,
Status of Coral Reefs of Northern Central America seriously degrading nearshore reefs, and over-fishing and damaging fishing practices also contribute to the degradation. Most shallow reefs around the populated Corn Islands are degraded due to discharge of untreated sewage i.e. on 5 CARICOMP transects at 12-15m in 1994-96, bottom cover was dominated by algae (44% - mostly Dictyota and Padina); live coral (25% - mostly M. annularis, Agaricia, Porites, and Millepora alcicornis); and minimal sponge and soft corals (5%). There was no evidence of coral bleaching or gorgonian diseases and Diadema urchins were seen. In the Miskito Reserve, coral recruitment was high, coral disease and bleaching were low, algal diversity was high but macroalgal overgrowth was low, probably due to urchin grazing. Nothing is known of the status of the well-developed A. palmata reefs on the windward eastern edge of the Pearl Cays, which are subject to coastal runoff. Little is known of damage from Hurricane Mitch, but high damage is anticipated because it went over the Bay Islands and resulted in massive runoff of sediments. Anchor damage is minimal because the fishing boats are small. Overall, the reefs of Nicaragua have probably lost about 10% of coral cover over the last 10 years, but coral cover of 25% is comparable to other areas of the Caribbean. El Salvador Little is known about the coral communities at Los Cobanos. POTENTIAL CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS ON CORAL REEFS Perhaps the greatest future threats to the reefs in this region are from bleaching events. The 1990s decade was the warmest on record with the most extreme El Niño events. Models for the next 100 years predict that warming will continue and coral bleaching will become more frequent and severe, probably becoming an annual occurrence over much of the region by 2015 and seriously damaging these coral reefs. Continued Hurricane impacts are also expected. Thus, increased management efforts will be needed to protect the coral reefs from additional anthropogenic stress which would compound these global effects, prevent recovery from acute disturbances, and further increase the probability that these reefs will experience significant shifts in community structure, including continued losses of live coral. STATUS OF CORAL REEF FISHERIES AND FISHERIES Northern Central American reefs have traditionally been an important source for food, but the intensity and frequency of fishing is increasing at an alarming rate. Marine fish captures are largest in Mexico, are steadily increasing in Nicaragua (259mt in 1992) and Guatemala (92mt in 1993), while there is an overall decline in landings in Belize and Honduras between 1996-1998. These declines are attributed to lowered populations, over-fishing, changing economic circumstances, illegal fishing, destructive fishing methods like gill nets, and lack of enforcement. While fisheries management is non-existent in some areas, there are several examples of effective management to use as models for other areas. Two of the most exploited reef species are lobsters and queen conch, which both rely on healthy reefs and are vulnerable to over-fishing. Mexico There are at least 245 reef fish in Atlantic Mexico: 68% of these in the Gulf of Mexico; and 92% along the Yucatan. Herbivores dominate on Gulf of Mexico reefs, carnivores are more 297
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FOREWORD Over the past few years, I
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CONTENTS COUNTRIES, STATES AND TERR
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COUNTRIES, STATES AND TERRITORIES A
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Countries, States and Territories T
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CLIVE WILKINSON T
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Executive Summary CORAL BLEACHING I
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Executive Summary South Asia Most r
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Executive Summary parts of Fiji and
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Executive Summary management and mo
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Executive Summary tourism developme
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Executive Summary problem is loomin
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6. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN SOUTH A
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Status of Coral Reefs in South Asia
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8. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS OF EAST AN
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Status of Coral Reefs of East and N
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9. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS OF AUSTRAL
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Status of Coral Reefs of Australasi
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10. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE SO
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Status of Coral Reefs in the Southw
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11. STATUS OF SOUTHEAST AND CENTRAL
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Status of Southeast and Central Pac
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12. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS OF AMERIC
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Status of Coral Reefs of American S
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Status of Coral Reefs in Southern T
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19. SPONSORING ORGANISATIONS, CORAL
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Sponsoring Organisations, Coral Ree
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LIST OF ACRONYMS AGRRA AIMS ASEAN B
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