Building Resilience

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September 6, 2007 Climate Change Science
Conference Diana Bermúdez
Building Resilience in the Second Largest Reef
in the World
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Mesoamerican Reef

• MAR second largest reef in the world
• Stretches 625 miles
• Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras
• TNC working with partners in the region since
  1990
• Sian Kaan, Gladden Spit, Punta de Manbique,
  Cayos Cochinos

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Rich Marine Life

• 66 species of coral
• 400 species of reef fish
• Wide variety of sea life including marine
  turtles, manatees and whale sharks

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Socioeconomic Benefits

• 2 million people live in the coast and depend on
  the reef for sustenance and employment
• Fishing and tourism are the main economic
  activities

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MAR Ecoregional Assessment

• Conservation Targets coral reefs, seagrasses,
  mangroves, SPAGS, estuaries and coastal lagoons,
  whale sharks, beaches and dunes
• GCC identified as one of the main challenges in
  the MAR that will affect several of our
  conservation targets, particularly coral reefs
  and mangroves

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Main Challenges

• Bleaching events 1995, 1998, 2005
• Hurricanes Mitch (1998), Emily and Wilma
  (2005), Dean (2007)
• 1998 mass bleaching event combined with damages
  from Hurricane Mitch was far more severe 50
  average decline in coral cover
• July-November 2005 warmest in the Caribbean in
  100 years

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MAR Strategic Plan

• Strategies to Increase the Resiliency of the MAR
  
• to Global Climate Change
• Raise Awareness Leverage Resources to Increase
  Resiliency of the MAR
• Protect Herbivore Populations
• Identify and Protect Resilient Mangroves
• Identify and Protect Resilient Reefs

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Raise Awareness Leverage Resources

• Raise public awareness about the potential impact
  of GCC in the MAR and actions that can be taken
• Build partnerships with a variety of stakeholders
  to generate the necessary finances and support to
  respond to the impacts of GCC

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Protecting Herbivores

• Herbivorous fish enhance coral reef resilience by
  keeping algal growth in check and allowing new
  coral to recruit
• Raise awareness on ecological role of herbivores
  in reef resilience
• Support development of policies to protect
  herbivores

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Mangrove Resilience

• Sea-level rise is the main climate change
  challenge facing mangrove ecosystems
• Conduct research to identify mangroves that are
  resilient to sea level rise
• Disseminate information about the projected
  impact of sea level rise on mangroves in the MAR
• Ensure resilient mangroves are included within a
  management regime

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Reef Resilience

• RRA was carried out by TNC and local (ASK,
  CONANP, FoN, HCRF, Fundary, Fundaeco, UNAH) and
  international partners (WWF, GVI)
• Assess the reefs conditions and identify sites
  that may be resilient or resistant to coral
  bleaching in order to protect them
• 328 sites surveyed (MX 121, BZ 141, GT 5, HN 61)

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Reef Resilience

• AGRRA protocol
• Survey Design Generalized Random Tessellation
  Sampling to ensure full representation of all
  reef types, uniformly distributed across the reef
  zones.
• Benthic Surveys - assess density of the
  longspined sea urchin, size and condition of
  coral individuals, cover of major benthic
  habitat components, macroalgae height,
  recruitment of stony corals
• Fish Surveys - assess fish density and size

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Reef Resilience

• Mexico 5-6 of colonies assessed showed signs
  of coral bleaching. Disease and recent mortality
  values were very low. Coral cover was low.
• Belize Found some bleaching and minimal recent
  mortality. Only 3.7 of colonies assessed showed
  signs of coral bleaching. Less than 2 of
  colonies affected by any disease. Overall live
  coral cover remains low, averaging about 10.

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Reef Resilience

• Guatemala Recent mortality very low, less than
  1, while disease infestation was higher at 11.
  Overall live coral cover was low averaging 8.5.
• Honduras Less than 11 bleaching, recent
  mortality was less than 5, coral disease was
  high (14-18). Overall live coral cover was low
  averaging between 10-15.

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Reef Resilience Next Steps

• Form a bleaching watching network with dive
  operators and fishermen
• Form a rapid response team with marine
  practitioners
• Begin monitoring resilient and resistant reefs
  identified in the RRA
• Continue to collaborate with local and
  international partners working in the region and
  other TNC initiatives and programs

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Thank You!
Diana Bermúdez Yucatan Coastal and Marine Program
Manager TNC Mexico Program dbermudez_at_tnc.org