The Western Caribbean region encompasses some of the largest islands in
the Caribbean, including the mainland of Central America from Mexico to
Columbia, and the island of Cuba and includes tracts specific to: 1)
Mexico, 2) Belize, 3) Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador, 4)
Costa Rica and Panama,. 5) Columbia and Ecuador, 6) Cuba, 7) Jamaica, 8)
Cayman Islands. It is also home to considerable and significant areas of
coral reef. Human impacts on the reefs in this region are varied, from
little impact due to distance from population centers but others have
been severely impacted in a negative way from over fishing,
sedimentation and nutrient pollution. The reefs near Jamaica, for
instance, have been severely degraded for decade by human direct
contacts.
The region is also severely impacted by
extreme weather conditions linked to El Nino, which can cause excessive
warming which leads to widespread coral bleaching and subsequent
mortality, causing local extinctions of particular species. The frequent
occurrence of such weather related events also helps to explain the lack
of more extensive reef development in the region.

Mexico
has numerous coral reef communities but the main concentrations are in
four areas: the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Coast; the near shore
reefs between Tampico and Veracruz in the western Bahia de Campeche: the
more distant offshore reefs of the Campeche Bank; and the fringing reef
and atolls of the Caribbean Sea.
The most extensive reef development in
Mexico is in the state of Quintana Roo on the east coast of the Yucatan
Peninsula. Here the continental shelf is very narrow, in places less
than two kilometers wide. There are partly submerged fringing reefs
along much of this coastline, while from Xcalak southwards there is a
fully developed fringing reef which continues to Ambergris Key in
Belize, and then extends into the Belize Barrier Reef.
There is little information available on
the human impacts on coral reefs and communities in the Mexico Pacific
region. Most of the reefs occur in places subject to recent intensive
development for tourism, and sedimentation arising from deforestation in
adjacent watersheds in increasing. A small aquarium fishery in the
Gulf of California has recently been expanded, with combined permits for
the collection of nearly 90,000 individual fish (from twenty species),
1,000 corals and 80,000 other invertebrates per year. These
figures are of concern because the coral communities from which these
collection are taken are small and scattered, and their natural
vulnerability is further heightened by the extreme environmental
conditions of the region. In the Gulf of Mexico, the reefs near Veracruz
have probably suffered the greatest damage from human impacts due to
their proximity to the coast and their location near the important ports
Veracruz and Tuxpan. Bank reefs have all suffered from oil-related
activities over the past 25 years. The Caribbean reefs of
Mexico have been subject to intense fishing and tourist related
activities since the 1960's and small reef patches, located near El
Garrafon at Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc at Cancun, have been completely
destroyed. Additionally impacts by humans is becoming more evident along
the Cancun-Tulum tourist corridor in places such as Akumal and Puerto
Morelos, as well as the offshore island of Cozumel. The impacts of
construction and inadequate sewage systems in the porous limestone,
combined with the direct impacts of anchor and diver damage, are a cause
for concern throughout this area. On a hopeful note, a large number of
marine protected areas have been declared which include coral reefs, and
active management of some of these is supporting increased protection of
coral reef resources in these areas.:

OFFICIAL, SCIENTIFIC &
GOVERNMENTAL SITES
Reef Base: Mexico
World Resources Institute article on Mexico's
coral reefs

Although Belize is a relatively
small country, it has some of the most developed coral reef systems in
the region. The coastline is fringed by a shallow shelf with a barrier
reef running along its outer edge, and the Belize Barrier Reef is the
longest in the Caribbean, 230 kilometers in length, although there are
barrier-like reefs in Florida and Cuba which are considerably larger. To
the north the barrier reef becomes joined to the mainland at Ambergris
Cay, a southerly extension of the Yucatan Peninsula. At this point the
reef system becomes fringing, and continues north along the coastline of
Mexico. These reefs, together with others to the south in Honduras, are
known as the Meso-American Reef.
The mainland coastal reefs of Belize are
dominated by narrow sandy beaches and mangrove forests, often associated
with river deltas, and the development of reefs here is extremely
limited by fluctuations in turbidity and sediments. Patch reefs occur
also along the coast in this region although they are much more abundant
in the south, and vary considerably in size. Lagoons found here also
houses regionally important populations of the Caribbean manatee,
although there are concerns that illegal hunting may be reducing its
numbers, particularly in the south of the country.
One of the strongest naturally occurring
environmental impacts on the coral reefs of Belize has been hurricane
damage. Hurricane Hattie in 1961 was reported to have reduced live coral
cover by 80 percent in some places, although the reefs subsequently made
a good recovery. El Nino also has taken its toll, with its warming
trends causing considerable local coral bleaching.
The major threats to Belize's coral reefs
are over fishing, sedimentation, agricultural runoff, sewage and
dredging. There are also concerns that Belize's growing shrimp
aquaculture industry, with its waste byproducts, may be having a
negative impact on coastal fisheries and in particular the mangrove
breeding grounds. Considerable efforts have been and are being made
towards the development of a system of marine protected areas. The Hol
Chan Marine Reseve in the north of the country is widely sited as an
example of an effective no-take zone, implemented with the support and
collaboration of the local population This site has significantly higher
fish numbers and biomass than surrounding unprotected areas but, more
importantly, its protection has demonstrated increased sustainable fish
yields.

OFFICIAL, SCIENTIFIC &
GOVERNMENTAL SITES:
Reef Base: Belize
The Barrier Reef on Ambergris Caye
The Coastal Treasures of Belize
World Resources Institute article on Belize's
coral reefs

Honduras
has a long mainland coast facing the Caribbean Sea but dominated by
river inputs and extensive mangrove communities. There are no recorded
coastal coral reefs, although small, poorly developed coral communities
are recorded from Puerto Cortes, La Ceiba and Trujillo. Important coral
reefs do occur around the Bay Islands and also the Cayos Cochinos which
lie between Roatan and the mainland. Fringing and patch reefs also occur
to the east associated with the Misquitia Cays and Banks. There are also
reefs associated with the remote Swan Islands some 150 kilometers
northeast of the mainland.
Efforts to protect the marine resources of
the Bay Islands are underway and an unofficial marine reserve has been
set up around the West End and Sandy Bay. There are also several other
marine protected areas in Honduras, notably the Cayos Cochinos
Biological Reserve, which covers the entire island and reef system of
this area and is actively managed with support from the private sector.
Nicaragua's coral reefs occur along its entire 350
kilometer Caribbean coastline, but especially around the offshore
islands, notably the Miskito Cays in the north and Corn Cays towards the
center of the country. These, together with other shelf edge reefs, may
be a true barrier reef system. Reefs also occur around a number of
inshore cays: Man O' War Cays, Crawl, Set Net and Taira Cays and the
Pearl Cays. Seagrass beds, predominately Thalassia testudinum,
cover huge areas in between the mainland, these cays and the continental
shelf edge. They are believed to be the most extensive seagrass beds in
the Caribbean, and may provide food and refuge for more than half of the
remaining green turtles Chelonai mydas in the Caribbean. They
also play an important role as nursery habitat and feeding ground for
coral reef fish and invertebrates, and buffer the coral reefs from much
of the low salinity water and sediment flowing from the coastal rivers.
Nicaraguan reefs have been impacted by
increased sedimentation from the clearing of forests, increased
sewage,
and waste from fish processing plants. The indigenous Miskito Indians,
together with some other communities, use the reefs in the north of
Nicaragua for fisheries. For this most part this appears sustainable,
however the green turtle harvest is very high (14,000 per year) and is
in urgent need of control. Illegal fishing from neighboring countries
may be reducing fish stocks also in some places,
Guatemala and El Salvador have no true coral reefs, although both
countries do have a few small coral communities. Very little is known of
them. Those in Guatemala are concentrated in the Gulf of Honduras, while
El Salvador's are near Los Cobanos.

OFFICIAL, SCIENTIFIC &
GOVERNMENTAL SITES:
El Salvador's Biological Diversity
National Parks and Protected Areas of Nicaragua
Reef Base: El Salvador
Reef Base: Guatemala
Reef Base: Honduras
World Resources Institute article on Honduras,
Nicaragua, Guatemala & El Salvador's coral reefs

Costa
Rica's Caribbean coast is dominated by wide areas
of alluvial sediments and there are a considerable number of rivers that
flow into the sea. These conditions greatly restrict the growth of coral
reefs, although there are fringing communities at Limon and Punta
Cahuita. Less developed coral communities are also found from Puerto
Viejo to Punta Mona. In the past three decades, the Costa Rican coral
reefs have suffered a terrible decline, primarily caused by the increase
in deforestation on the mainland. This is particularly apparent at
Cahuita, where live coral was 40 percent in the late 1970's but had
decreased to only 11 percent by 1993, while the cover of algae and
rubble increased from 60 to 90 percent. By 1999, coral cover had
sadly declined to only 3 percent.
Panama, by contrast, has a more complex coastline,
including rocky shores and tow areas of extensive offshore islands, and
there is extensive coral reef development, notably at Bocas del Toro in
the west and Cristobal to the east. In the Panama coral reefs, some 64
species of hard coral have been recorded, and in general, human impact
is less extensive than in Costa Rica, particularly in the offshore reefs
that are farther from human activity.
Some of the best developed reefs in Panama
occur along the San Blas coastline where a number of islands and reef
lie on the outer edge of the continental shelf as patch and fringing
reefs around coral cays in a barrier-type structure. Further east, the
reefs and islands are mostly located closer to the shore. Here
57 species of scleractinian coral have been recorded, and
because this area is an autonomous region run by the Kuna Indians,
it has received good protection. The mainland coast remains heavily
forested and little sediment runoff occurs to impact the reefs.
The Eastern Pacific coastlines of both
Costa Rica and Panama are strongly affected by extremes of water
temperature associated with El Nino, and these restrict the growth of
offshore coral reefs, while terrestrial runoff greatly restricts reef
development on the mainland coasts. In general, reef development is very
sporadic and mostly at locations around the offshore islands.

OFFICIAL, SCIENTIFIC &
GOVERNMENTAL SITES:
Panama Coral Reef Monitoring Network
Reef Base: Costa Rica
Reef Base: Panama

Colombia
has over 1700 kilometers of Caribbean coastline but coral reefs are
restricted to less than 150 kilometer, and are located away from major
estuaries and sediment plumes. The Caribbean current moves water in a
north to northeasterly direction off of the coast, and this creates
localized upwellings, bringing cold water to the surface and further
curtailing the development of coral reefs. The most extensive reef
structures are found off Santa Marta (at Punta Betin, Isla Morro Grande,
Bahia Granate, Bahia Chengue and Bahia Gayraca) and Cartagena (at Islas
de San Bernardo and Islas del Rosario). These reefs have all experienced
great negative changes in the past twenty years with decline in live
coral and the rise in algae cover. This change has been attributed to a
combination of bleaching, coral disease and pollution from the area's
major cities and ports.
Additionally, the offshore reefs on the
Nicaraguan Rise, while well developed and diverse and which represent
about seventy-five percent of the coral complexes in Colombia, also
appear to be in decline. One aspect of the problem seems to be
over fishing by the inhabitants of the densely populated nearby
island of San Andres.
There are only a few small coral reef
developments along the Pacific coast of Colombia, most notably at Tebada
and Ensenada de Utria. These are small fringing and patch reefs and are
relatively young in age. The reefs of the Ensenada de Utria are
fortunately protected in a national park, and given their remote
location, human negative impacts seem to be low. However, they were
impacted, with coral bleaching and mortality, by the recent El Nino.
Colombia does have a number of designated protected areas containing
coral reefs, but the larger Caribbean ones suffer notable problems of
mis-management and some illegal activities continue.
Ecuador
has a few coral communities which occur on the mainland coast of Ecuador
and one true reef at Machalilla, however it is in the Galapagos Islands
that reefs are best developed. This archipelago is influenced by a major
surface current, the South Equatorial Current, which flows from the
east, largely fed by the cool Peru Oceanic Current and the colder Peru
Coastal Current.
For the most part however, these reefs are
poorly developed patches and do not form true fringing structures.
Species diversity is also low, and although the reefs are well protected
there have been some impacts from bleaching and erosion. Fishing
pressures have increased significantly in a few areas, notably for the
trade in sea cucumbers and sharks. Although the human population is low
in the Galapagos, the fishing lobby is powerful and efforts to place
restrictions on the fishing industry locally has led to considerable
hostility and violence by the fishermen, but also some weakening of
catch limits as a form of appeasement, not good news for the coral
reefs.

OFFICIAL, SCIENTIFIC &
GOVERNMENTAL SITES:
Reef Base: Columbia

Cuba
is the largest of the Caribbean islands, with a long, complex coastline
and extensive chains of offshore cays and islands, with coral reefs
stretching virtually along the entire border of the Cuban shelf. The
majority of these lie offshore in long tracts which resemble barrier
reefs, separated from the mainland by large lagoons. The longest runs
for 400 kilometers along the north coast from the Archipelago de Sabana
to the Archipelago de Camaguey. On the south coast, a similar tract
stretches 350 kilometers from Trinidad to Cabo Cruz. Unlike true barrier
reefs, the lagoons behind the reefs are very shallow, and in most cases,
these wide lagoons have protected the reefs from significant human
impact.
In Cuba, only short stretches of the
coastline have been heavily urbanized or industrialized and for this
reason, pollution tends to be localized and less than 3 percent of Cuban
coral reefs believed to be affected by any significant degree of organic
pollution. In terms of reef fish, Cuban reefs have higher biomass,
species richness and average size than many other countries in the
region, but these were declining in the 1980's and 1990's due to
fishing, an important Cuban industry

OFFICIAL, SCIENTIFIC &
GOVERNMENTAL SITES:
Ocean Conservancy Page on Cuba's Coral Reefs
Reef Base:
Cuba
Scuba
Cuba
World Resources Institute article on
Cuba's coral reefs
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Jamaica
is the third largest island in the Greater Antilles and is located in
the center of the Caribbean Sea. Patchy reef formations grow on the
south coast, and reefs and corals also grow on nine offshore banks,
notably at the Pedro and Morant Cays. Jamaica has had a long history of
exploiting its marine resources since colonial days -fishing the
immediate Jamaican shoreline was undertaken with such intensity
that local fish stocks have now collapsed. Over fishing is particularly
bad on the north coast, where the narrow coastal shelf concentrates
fishing in a smaller area, making the reef communities more
accessible. Additionally the offshore banks are also over fished as
well.
Jamaican reefs are further impacted by
human activities, including sedimentation caused by soil erosion as well
as nutrient pollution. Coastal development has been rapid in Jamaica,
encouraged by massive tourism developments, and in many areas, sewage
receives little or no treatment.
Jamaica's reefs have been well studied by scientists for several decades
and efforts to reverse some of the many problems facing the country are
beginning in some areas, and a number of marine protected zones have
been declared. Active management of coral reefs, with full community
involvement, is being pursued in a number of regions, in particular
Montego Bag, Negril and the recently declared Portland Bight Protected
Area.

OFFICIAL, SCIENTIFIC &
GOVERNMENTAL SITES:
Reef Base: Jamaica
World Resources Institute article on Jamaica's
coral reefs
COMMERCIAL
Earthwatch Institute: Jamaica's Coral Reefs

The Cayman Islands consist of three
islands: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, and all three are
Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom. All are very low lying and
weather conditions are close to those found in Jamaica. The reefs found
associated with each island are all very similar to each other. An
interesting note is that the Grand Cayman Island now has one of the
largest green turtle rookeries in the Caribbean, having recovered from
extensive over fishing during the early days of colonial rule when some
18,000 turtles were slaughtered annually.
The Cayman Islands have experienced a
significant population increase over the last thirty years, and tourism
remains the mainstay of the economy, aiming at the luxury market and
catering primarily to visitors from the United States. About forty
percent of these affluent visitors go diving, attracted to the easy
access to clear waters and sheer drop-offs. Most of the pressure on the
reefs then arises from the massive, tourist focused development, and
pollution and the contamination of groundwater by sewage are potential
problems as is over fishing. The deeper reefs off George Town have been
destroyed by the continual anchoring of cruise ships and nearby shallow
reefs have been damaged by sedimentation.
On a positive note, a comprehensive system
of marine protected areas has been established in the Cayman Islands
covering thirty-four percent of the coastal waters of the islands,
enforced by number of guards, and also regularly subject to detailed
monitoring.

OFFICIAL, SCIENTIFIC &
GOVERNMENTAL SITES:
Reef Base: Cayman Islands
World Resources Institute article on Cayman
Islands' coral reefs
Cayman Islands Photography by Courtney Platt

Extracted and adapted from The World
Atlas of Coral Reefs, by Mark D. Spalding, Corinna Ravilious and Edmund
P. Green, published by the
University of California Press .
For more complete and in-depth coverage of the topics presented in this
webpage, I recommend highly purchasing a copy of this beautifully
illustrated book. Just click on the University of California Press link
above to do so.
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