By Kelli McLean About the Mesoamerican Reef MAR More than 724km long It runs between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen for hundreds of miles extending from the southern half of the Yucatan Peninsula to the Bay Islands of Honduras ID: 796631
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Slide1
Mesoamerican Barrier Reef
By: Kelli McLean
Slide2About the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR)!
More than 724km longIt runs between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen for hundreds of miles, extending from the southern half of the Yucatan Peninsula to the Bay Islands of Honduras
Largest coral reef in the Western hemisphere (second largest in the world) Amazing biodiversity, home to 350 species of mollusk, and more than 500 species of fish
Slide3LOCATION
Slide4Threats on MAR
Fishing (overfishing and cyanide fishing)Introduction of unwanted species
Slide5OVER FISHING
Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable levelThis
can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceansIt is also a result of the
fishing industry rapidly increasing due to improvements in technology and a high demand for already at risk species (in the MAR examples being Snapper, Grouper, Lobster,
Conche
)
The expanding fishing industries are also a large contributor (
Aquaculture, artisanal,
commercial)
Slide6How does this affect the MAR?
It can potentially lead to the extinction of species within the ocean ecosystem, taking away from the extremely unique biodiversity of this areaIn addition species that aren’t targeted by fishers can become unnaturally dominant, act as a invasive species in their own ecosystem, and decrease biomass
It creates a chain effect in various food chains (see notes below)
Slide7Cyanide fishing!
Started in the 1950s and is mostly illegal although still widely practiced Sodium
Cyanide is sprayed over habitat (as a result stunning the fish, and other species in the process)Fish are
then collected by divers and put up for sale Sometimes in order to locate the fish the coral is physically broken apart by the divers completely destroying it
There is quite a high
mortality
rate causing many more fish to be stunned than are actually sold
Slide8Why is this bad for the MAR?
Not only affects the fish, but the coral and the coral reefs as well high mortality rate, meaning that more fish have to be killed than
requiredcyanide build-ups which slow photosynthesis in the algae in the
reefs causing them to loose colour and reduce the amount of oxygen produced It also can have the same effects (tampering with species population and food chains
) as listed for overfishing as fish are removed from the ocean ecosystem, just in a dissimilar manner
Slide9Introduction of unwanted species
When organisms are introduced to an area it can cause devastating affectsSpecifically within the MAR the introduction of the crown of thorns and lion fish has
Slide10Crown of Thorns
The crown of thorns starfish is the second largest sea star in the worldIt
is a nocturnal creature that preys on fast-growing and common coralsThe crown-of-thorns receives its name from venomous thorn-like spines that cover its
body
Slide11The Problem
The Crown of Thorns Starfish can be blamed for widespread reef destructionCoral
bleaching and Black band disease, mean that outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns can cause permanent damage and prevent new coral from growing
Slide12Lion Fish
Introduced in the 1990s after an aquarium was destroyed during a hurricaneExtremely evasive as it has no natural predatorsEfforts to reduce population were mainly ineffective
The lionfish breeds extremely quickly, and can release Studies have shown lionfish reduce the amount of coral fish by an estimated 80%
Slide13Protective measures!
Thankfully there are many protective measure being taken by various organizations in order to maintain the Mesoamerican Reef.
Slide14OAK foundation
Oak Foundation is an international foundation that has made more than 2,100 grants to not-for-profit
organisations across the globe since its establishment in 1998
Slide15How do they help?
Program GOALS #
Improve marine reserve management effectiveness
# Promote sustainable coastal and marine resource management, including sustainable financing
# Promote long-term, non-extractive, diverse economic development opportunities for coastal communities
Slide16Another Solution
The UN has created a unique program for the Caribbean that is hosted within their environmental programs. The Caribbean Environmental Programme was developed in order to legally protect the marine life found in the Mesoamerican
reef
Slide17WORKS CITED
Control of Lionfish in the Mesoamerican Reef - GlobalGiving. (
n.d.). GlobalGiving: donate to projects in the developing world supporting education, health, women and children, and more
. Retrieved June 27, 2011, from http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/control-of-invasive-lionfish-in-the-mar-reef/
Crown
of thorns. (1996). Retrieved from http://
www.reefed.edu.au
/home/
explorer/animals/marine_invertebrates/echinoderms/
crown_of_thorns
Crown
-of-thorns starfish. (2011). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Crown-of-
thorns_starfish
Mesoamerican reef. (2011).
Retrieved from http://
worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework
/
mesoamericanreef/results.html
Mesoamerican reef – the
atlantic
ocean’s largest coral reef. (2011). Retrieved from http://
www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/mesoamericanreef/
Mesoamerican reef - threats. (2011). Retrieved from http://
www.worldwildlife.org
/
whatwherewework/mesoamericanreef/threats.html
Slide18WORKS CITED CONT.
Mesoamerican reef. (2011). Retrieved from http://worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework
/ mesoamericanreef/results.htmlMesoamerican reef – the
atlantic ocean’s largest coral reef. (2011). Retrieved from http:// www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/mesoamericanreef/
Mesoamerican reef - threats. (2011). Retrieved from http://
www.worldwildlife.org
/
whatwherewework/mesoamericanreef/threats.html
Oak
Foundation: Marine
Env
. Gulf of Honduras. (
n.d
.).
Oak Foundation: Home
. Retrieved July 10, 2011, from http://www.oakfnd.org/activities/2009/marinemesoamerica.php
Overfishing - A global environmental problem, threat to our oceans and disaster.. (
n.d
.).
Overfishing - A global environmental problem, threat to our oceans and disaster.
. Retrieved July 10, 2011, from http://
overfishing.org
/
Region. (
n.d
.). Protecting the Mesoamerican Reef | Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW).
Home | Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW)
. Retrieved July 10, 2011, from http://www.elaw.org/node/1223