NOAA's Reporter's Coral Reef Tip Sheet
May 19, 1997 - Week 20

About 14% of the world's coral reefs are found in the Wider Caribbean Region.* The marine seascape of the Caribbean supports complex interactions within highly productive coral reef ecosystems, and between coral reefs and nearby mangrove stands and seagrass beds. Although fringing and patch reefs are the most common reef types in the Caribbean, the region also hosts the 220 km long barrier reef system off the coasts of Belize and Mexico and the 176 km Andros barrier reef in the Bahamas.

Coral reefs in the Caribbean are under severe threat from a number of sources. Problems include coastal erosion and sedimentation from dredging and construction, reduced water quality from sewage and agricultural runoff, as well as direct damage from reef-destructive fishing, boat anchors, ship groundings, and recreational misuse.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been established throughout the Wider Caribbean Region in an attempt to protect valuable coral reef resources from further degradation and destruction. Approximately 100 MPAs currently exist in the Caribbean, and more are being planned. By controlling the human activities that damage coral reefs, MPAs help maintain coral reef ecosystem productivity, integrity and diversity. Whether or not an MPA is able to safeguard the ecosystem processes which are critical to coral reef health, depends on the existence and implementation of appropriate legal frameworks, general acceptance by local communities, and an effective and well-supported management system.

Unfortunately two-thirds of the MPAs in the Caribbean are not achieving the objectives for which they were established. Considerable investment is still required in many of these MPAs before they can truly be considered protected areas. One of the biggest problems facing MPA programs in the Caribbean is that the human and financial resources are not available to effectively implement the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources in and around the MPAs. Therefore, enhancing the local capacity to manage existing MPAs should be given as much attention as establishing new MPAs. In addition to a lack of resources, the multiplicity of national jurisdictions in the Caribbean region severely hampers the flow of limited resources between nations. Regional cooperation based on stable regional structures designed to support national programs is absolutely essential.

Upcoming Event: Latin America Protected Areas Conference Santa Marta, Colombia 21-28 May,1997 Protected area experts from the Caribbean Region are meeting this week to work on the issues of establishing and managing the full range of protected areas in the region.

* The Wider Caribbean Region includes the following countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Florida (U.S.), French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles (Curacao, Bonaire, Aruba, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba), Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico (U.S.), St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (U.K.), and Virgin Islands (U.S.).

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE REEF PLEASE CONTACT:

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CARIBBEAN CORAL REEFS AND MARINE PROTECTED AREAS PLEASE CONTACT:

IUCN - The World Conservation Union and the US Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are working together to publicize the urgent need for conservation and sustainable use of coral reefs as part of the International Year of the Reef (IYOR). The IUCN - NOAA partnership will heighten public awareness by providing a coral reef story idea to international media outlets each week throughout the IYOR. To provide story ideas which highlight coral reef issues of local, national, regional and international importance, IUCN and NOAA are in contact with NGOs, coral reef scientists, government officials, inter-governmental organizations and others to submit story ideas for possible use in the media outreach program.