Caribbean Coral

Reefs
Endangered Earth Concern by Neha
Pandari
 Coral Reefs
• Coral reefs are among the richest ecosystems on Earth
and supply communities around the world with food,
livelihoods and protection against environmental
threats. 
• Coral reefs benefit approximately 500 million people
worldwide each day and provide habitat for 25% of all
marine species.
• Reefs also protect communities against the
devastating impacts of climate change, including
coastal erosion, flooding and life-threatening
hurricanes.

https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/caribbean/stories-in-caribbean/
caribbean-a-revolution-in-coral-conservation/
 • The Caribbean region
encompasses 35 countries
and territories bordering the
Gulf of Mexico and
Caribbean Sea, including the
oceanic island of Bermuda.
• It is home to 7.64% of the
world’s coral reefs, ranging
over 284,300 square
kilometers.

Caribbean Coral Reef

Location https://www.oecs.org/perb_docs/bc_part2c_coralreef.pdf
 • It provides a valuable ecosystem
for a large diversity of marine
animals and plants
• The warm temperature and clear
water make it the ideal spot for
coral growth.
• Most Caribbean Coral reefs are
fringing reefs, which means that
they grow directly offshore and
are considered extensions of the
shoreline.
• The Caribbean coral reefs is
Great Blue Hole
home to the second largest reef
in the world, the Mesoamerican
Barrier Reef.
• Off the coast of Belize are the
home of three of four true atolls,
Features and Uniqueness such as the famous Great Blue
Hole.
https://traveltips.usatoday.com/coral-reefs-honduras-1112.html
 • This coral reef is the most
biodiverse in the Atlantic
• They are mostly made up of
Staghorn coral and Elkhorn
coral, which are particularly
fast growing and can survive
hurricanes and sea level
changes
• Other corals include lettuce
coral, star coral, brain coral,
scleractinian coral, greater star
coral, and shet coral.
• They are important resources
for animals that depend on
corals for shelter and food.

Biodiversity pt. 1: Coral

https://www.oecs.org/perb_docs/bc_part2c_coralreef.pdf
Biodiversity pt. 2: Marine • Coral reefs provide breeding

Animals grounds for many marine

animals.
• Fish such as rainbow parrotfish,
angelfish, yellowtail damselfish,
lizardfish, needlefish, clownfish,
trumpetfish, Atlantic blue tang,
butterfly fish, basses, and many
more depend on the readily
available phytoplankton in the
reefs.
• Larger fish such as snappers,
jacks, and the Caribbean reef
shark stay offshore and come
into the reef to prey on smaller
fish.
• Longspine sea urchins, sea fans,
moray eels, crustaceans, and
conch and other mollusks are
also found among the corals.

https://www.oecs.org/perb_docs/bc_part2c_coralreef.pdf
Ecological and Economic • Aside from being an important food source

Importance
and habitat for marine animals, coral reefs
play an important role to humans too.
• Water Filtration: Filter-feeding sponges,
bivalve mollusks, crustaceans, worms, and
echinoderms all contribute to cleaning the
waters surrounding the reef, which is
necessary for the survival of the species
inhabiting the area.
• Fisheries: The Caribbean’s fisheries are an
essential source of food and a source of
revenue for local communities as well as
national and international fishing fleets.
• Tourism
• Coastal Protection: Coral reefs form a
natural and self-repairing barrier that protects
the coasts by absorbing violent wave impacts
of ocean storms and hurricanes, helping to
prevent coastal erosion, flooding, and damage
of shore property

https://www.oecs.org/perb_docs/bc_part2c_coralreef.pdf
 Historical
Comparisons

Data from more than

35,000 surveys suggests
that habitats have
declined by more than https://
www.bbc.com/
50% since the 1970s. news/science-
environment-
28113331
 Rate of Decline

• Coral reefs have decreased from

50-70% since exploration in the
70s.
• Reasons include coral disease,
climate change, unsustainable
fishing, acidification, and
pollution
• Corals Reefs could be gone in 20
years if we don’t take action
now. This is within our lifetime
and less time than the Great
Barrier reef has.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28113331
Threats: Pollution
• As human population density has increased,
there have been more coastal developments,
which run off into the ocean, polluting the
water and harming the organisms in that
ecosystem.
• The decrease in mangroves and seagrass have
increased the amount of marine pollution.
• Urban and industrial waste, sewage,
agrochemicals, and oil pollution are
poisoning the reef causing a process called
eutrophication which causes algal blooms.
• Coral reefs flourish in waters nearly devoid of
nutrients, and increased nutrient
concentrations promote algal growth at the
expense of corals.
• Data suggest that less than 20 percent of
sewage generated within the Caribbean
region is properly treated.

http://pdf.wri.org/reefs_caribbean_full.pdf
https://www.oecs.org/perb_docs/bc_part2c_coralreef.pdf
 Threats:
Tourism
• Careless boating, diving, snorkeling, and
fishing can have severe impacts on
ecosystems as sensitive as coral reefs.
• People touching reefs, stirring up sediment,
collecting coral, and dropping anchors on
reefs all pose threats the health of the
Caribbean’s coral reefs.
• Tourist resorts and infrastructure have been
built directly on reefs, and some resorts
empty their sewage or other wastes directly
into water surrounding coral reefs.
• Increased tourism has contributed to rapid
and poorly planned coastal development,
with associated problems of sedimentation
and pollution that follows development.
• Coral is also collected as souvenirs and many
local fish are taken as part of the exotic pet
trade.
https://www.oecs.org/perb_docs/bc_part2c_coralreef.pdf
 Threats: Mining
Coral Resources
• Live coral is sometimes removed from reefs
for use in bricks, road-fill, or cement for new
infrastructure.
• Corals are also sold as souvenirs to tourists
and to exporters for sale abroad.
• In addition, coral reef fish populations and
their coral habitat are targets for a world-
wide trade in exotic fish.

https://www.oecs.org/perb_docs/bc_part2c_coralreef.pdf
 Threats: Climate Change
• Global warming is resulting in rising sea levels. This is a problem because coral can be very particular about the water depth in regard to sunlight.
• Changes in rainfall, increased coastal erosion, and a possible increase in the number and severity of hurricanes and ocean tropical storms are
anticipated impacts of climate change. Across the Caribbean, coral cover is reduced by 17%, on average, in the year following a hurricane impact.
• Corals require an optimal water temperature to survive and, if exceeded, coral species will become extinct. Global warming has already led to
increased levels of coral bleaching.
• Coral bleaching is a response that can be triggered by a variety of stressors including solar radiation, salinity shock, sedimentation, disease, and
temperature increases20. In the Caribbean, rising temperatures is the main contributor to coral bleaching.
 Threats: Coral
Diseases
• In the past 30 years, coral diseases have played a large role in
the deterioration of coral reefs in the Caribbean
• Examples of these diseases are:
• the Caribbean-wide die-off of the long-spined black sea
urchin
• widespread losses of major reef-building corals
(staghorn and elkhorn) due to white band disease
• the current widespread occurrence of aspergillosis, a
fungal disease that attacks some species of gorgonians
(sea fans) and numerous outbreaks of white plague
• Three of these diseases—black band disease, white band
disease, and white plague—account for two-thirds of the
reports in the database and affect at least 38 species of corals
across the Caribbean.

http://pdf.wri.org/reefs_caribbean_full.pdf
 • Over-exploitation and declining catches are occurring within the Caribbean
as a result of increasing demands for reef fish resources.

Threats: • The direct effects of over-fishing include declines in abundance, size, and
reproductive output of species. Changes in sex ratio, behavior, and
Overfishing distribution also occur.
• Over-fishing also results in effects to the ecosystem such as changes in
predator-prey dynamics, trophic structure, habitat, and algal blooms all
occur as a result of over-fishing.

https://www.oecs.org/perb_docs/bc_part2c_coralreef.pdf
 • The most important species of the Caribbean Coral reefs
are Caribbean reef sharks, Damselfish, Spotlight
Flagship Species Parrotfish, Sea turtles, Queen Parrotfish, Princess
Parrotfish, and Rainbow Parrotfish.
• All of these species are endangered and play crucial roles
in maintaining coral reefs. They have declined rapidly
due to overfishing.

https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14160
 Flagship Species:
Caribbean Reef Shark
• Caribbean Reef Sharks have undergone a
population reduction of 50-79% over the past 29
years and is now listed as Endangered by the
IUCN.
• They are threatened due to the value of their
meat and fins, bycatch, marine debris and
pollution, degradation of coastal and marine
habitats, and misleading perception caused by
media, which makes them hunted by humans as
they are considered dangerous.
• Reef sharks are highly valued for their meat,
leather, liver oil, and fishmeal, which make them
prone to overfishing and targeting. 
• According to the Smithsonian Institution, sharks
are highly susceptible to extinction because they
grow and reproduce slowly.  In 2011, Honduras
declared its waters to be a permanent sanctuary
for sharks, making fishing for these species
completely forbidden.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/reef-sharks-are-serious-danger-extinction-says-new-study-180975
427/
https://www.wwfca.org/en/species_and_places/reef_sharks/
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/60217/3093780#population
 • Unfortunately , conservation efforts
vary based on country boundaries,
so the coral reefs are not fully
protected.
• Conservation groups such as
CANARI and World Wildlife Fund
are making efforts to prevent or
minimize impacts of human use of
coastal areas.
• Local and national governments,
NGOs, local inhabitants, and
scientists are increasing awareness
about coral reef ecosystems through
education and outreach. People in
the Caribbean are starting to
appreciate that it is important to
reduce human-caused stresses, and
to use and manage reef resources
more sustainably.
• Efforts are being made to reduce
Conservation Efforts impacts of pollution and coal
disease. Efforts are also being made
to improve management of coral
reef fisheries
https://www.oecs.org/perb_docs/bc_part2c_coralreef.pdf
 • TNC is partnering with leading coral
science organizations, including Mote
Marine Laboratory and Secore
International, to advance cutting-edge
restoration techniques like micro
fragmentation and facilitated sexual
reproduction, with the goal of restoring 1
million corals across the region.
• Through several targeted regional
programs focused on marine conservation
and sustainable fishing, they work on the
ground to train fishers and protected area
managers in practices that mitigate the
drivers of reef degradation.
• TNC is establishing Coral Innovation
Hubs in The Bahamas, the Dominican
Republic, and the US Virgin Islands,
which will host a network of coral
scientists and practitioners, partner
organizations and local stakeholders to

Conservation Efforts: The advance coral research and promote

education, so these essential ecosystems
will not be lost.

Nature Conservancy https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/caribbean/stories-in-

caribbean/caribbean-a-revolution-in-coral-conservation/
 • The Nature Conservancy is again the biggest
example of how geography and the use of
geospatial tools are beneficial to conserving
endangered ecosystems.
• By using aerial remote sensing technologies,
TNC and partners have published the first ever
high-resolution map of coral reefs and other
marine habitats throughout the Caribbean basin.
• Using these maps, it becomes easier to identify
priority marine areas that need protection and
begin sustainable use of the resources.

“You cannot protect what you don’t

know is there. Having access to these
maps is a game-changing achievement
for the Caribbean. Understanding and
protecting natural resources is critical

Geography’s Role to the economic success of these

countries.”
- Dr. Rob Brumbaugh,
https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/from-constellation-to-coral-reefs/
https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/caribbean-marine-maps/
 • Go out of your way to avoid
standing on or otherwise
touching the reefs.
• Inquire with any dive or
snorkel tour operator about
how it anchors the ship. If
the operator tosses the
anchor over the side and onto
the reef, then take your
money to a more coral-
friendly company.
• Do not buy coral "artworks"
from galleries and shops, as
these coral formations are
often cut alive from reefs.
How You Can Protect Coral Reefs
https://traveltips.usatoday.com/coral-reefs-honduras-1112.html