Danger to Coral Reefs under Focus

Danger to Coral Reefs under Focus
By Celeste Nixon

Non-government organizations (NGOs) are bringing focus to the importance of protecting and conserving marine resources such as coral reefs through development projects being carried out in several Caribbean countries including the Bahamas.

In a three-day workshop held in Port of Spain, Trinidad, yesterday, representatives of the media from across the Caribbean were shown the numerous projects being carried out throughout the region to collect knowledge and experience which will assist in developing a sustainable approach to management of shared living marine resources.

The workshop was hosted by the environmental NGOs, Integrating Watershed and Coastal Management (GEF-IWCAM) Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Project (CLME).

During a field trip to Tobago, media participants visited one of the largest reefs in the area and were exposed to a conservation project being conducted on the Bucco Reef with the aim of developing sustainable strategies for the protection of coral reefs and see how they are applicable to the wider Caribbean.

IWCAM in conjunction with the Bucco Reef Trust has undertaken a demonstration project in Tobago to “reduce the impact of the Courland Watershed and other small watersheds upon the Bucco Reef.”

WCAM regional project coordinator Vincent Sweeny said that these demonstration projects carried out throughout most of the participating countries, including the Bahamas, are used to collect knowledge and data about the wider Caribbean to develop a more coordinated approach to managing the environment and address problems that are impacting coastal water quality.

Coral reef ecosystems are one of the most complex natural systems in the Caribbean, however, because of their multiple uses and resulting impacts they are a “highly sensitive and threatened resource,” said CLME.

According to CLME, coral reefs, in addition to providing a home to important fisheries which are of significant economic value as well as offering essential resources for the tourism industry, also provide a ‘break water’ that protects the coastal line from harmful impacts of the ocean such as erosion.

Head of education at the Bucco Reef Trust Barry Lovelace said one of the major threats to coral reefs stem from human activity such as reef walking, run-offs from land clearing, bleaching due to rising ocean temperatures which are a result of climate change and anchor damage.