POSTER ABSTRACT

Effects of Hurricane Dean on Punta Gruesa Coral Reefs, Quintana Roo,

Mexico

Figueroa-Zavala, B1., Ponce-Taylor, D2. and Mancilla, M.2

1
El Colegio de la Frontera Sur. Avenida Centenario Km 5.5 Chetumal, Quintana Roo,
Mexico. bfigueroa@posgrado.ecosur.mx
2
Global Vision International. Apartado Postal 16, Col Centro, 77710 Playa del Carmen,
Quintana Roo, dan@gviworld.com

The state of Quintana Roo, Mexico is internationally renowned for its diverse
habitats, especially its coral reefs which make up part of the Mesoamerican
Barrier Reef System. Few studies had described the condition of the reefs in
Punta Gruesa (PG; N19.00865, W087.58977) before 20th August 2007, when
category 5 hurricane Dean hit the southern coast of Q Roo directly impacting PG
and the neighbouring town of Mahahual. Since January 2008, Amigos de Sian
Ka’an (ASK) and Global Vision International (GVI) have conducted a baseline
reef health monitoring programme on the PG reefs. Data collected by the ASK-
GVI Coral Reef Synoptic Monitoring programme have been compared with pre-
Dean data from previous studies to assess the effect of this severe
meteorological event. This study is key to be able to provide local reef managers
with accurate information on reef resilience due to severe hurricanes since
models predict an increase in both hurricane numbers and strength in the future.
The study also aims to highlight any downfalls in current research methods to
determine the direct effect of hurricanes on the PG reefs. The results obtained
from this comparison revealed that the hard coral cover and the reef fish density
of PG reefs have undergone a considerable reduction in the last 16 years,
previous to hurricane Dean’s impact. The analysis also showed the negative
influence of Dean on the condition of coral communities with regards to
mortality, presence of disease, and bleaching, as well as in the reduction of fish
stocks. Additionally, this study highlights the necessity of implementing a
hurricane specific monitoring methodology to assess the effects of these
powerful meteorological events. The ASK-GVI programme aims to implement
such methodology alongside the SMP methodology, beginning with the 2011
hurricane season, to be able to extract more specific comparisons and
conclusions.