Management Plan - Glover's Reef Marine Reserve

Glovers Reef Marine Reserve – Management Plan
eastern tip of the island – almost certainly as the result of less aggressive beach clearance
activities (Walker, 2007). In the late 1990’s the island’s coconut trees became highly infected
with lethal yellowing disease (Berlin & Quiroz 1998), and a total of 150 hybrid Maypan diseaseresistant
coconut trees were subsequently planted to replace some of those that had died, near
the facilities. On the remaining area of the island, the untreated trees died rapidly and many
were removed (Bright 1999).
A non-exhaustive survey of the flora of Middle Caye (Walker,
2007) demonstrated that, in the absence of the negative
impacts associated with invasive coconuts, the native flora and
vegetation assemblages are re-establishing very well, with
native species assemblages being established over much of the
island, greatly increasing the extent and condition of natural
vegetation, and enhancing habitat quality for the fauna. A total
of 31 species of plant were identified in the survey, not including
most of the grasses, and not including at least one more
unidentified herbaceous species. Species richness is evidently
increasing as a direct result of the reduction of the coconut
abundance, and as a result of more environmentally-friendly
management. It would appear that overall species richness is
rapidly returning to natural levels, though it can be expected
that habitat structure will continue to change significantly over
coming years as woody shrubs and trees extend the current
limits of the littoral forest into some of the areas currently
dominated by herbaceous beach flora. Current management
(pruning of taller growth, to maintain a vista) of a significant
portion of the northern portion of the island has provided a
competitive advantage to two semi-woody shrubs: Ernodea
littoralis and Erythralis fruticosa (Figures 22 and 23), the berries
of the latter being an extremely attractive food source to the
resident white-crowned pigeons, to the migrant birds passing
through the Atoll in significant numbers, and to the healthy
population of black iguanas. Tall red mangrove provides
important habitat on the western side of the caye. Recent
vegetation mapping by WCS is highly accurate.
WCS owns the caye and has established a research facility on
the cleared northern end of the island. This includes a
dormitory for researchers, a laboratory, kitchen, manager’s
house (Figure 24), staff quarters, showers and composting
toilets, workshop, solar panels and back-up diesel generators,
air compressor for filling SCUBA tanks, and a dock. WCS has
also provided a location in this area for the headquarters of the
marine reserve, administered by the Fisheries Dept. This
includes accommodation for reserve staff, a kitchen, and an
area allocated for a small visitor centre.
Southwest I Caye
Figures 22; 23; 24:
Top: Ernodea littoralis
Middle: Erithralisfruticosa
Bottom: WCS
Accommodation on Middle
Caye
The Southwest Cayes are located at the southern end of the Atoll, immediately east of the
broad southern entrance to the atoll’s lagoon. Although it has been reported that the cayes
were originally one large island, which was spilt in half during the 1931 hurricane (Gibson
1988), Stoddart (1962) records suggest that they have existed in their present state for at least
two centuries. The sheltered bay between the two cayes forms a natural protected nursery
area, though there are concerns that, following Hurricane Mitch and the closure of the reef cut
Wildtracks / Wildlife Conservation Society, 2007 37