#Status of Coral Reefs 2002 - International Coral Reef Action Network

17. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE EASTERN
CARIBBEAN: THE OECS, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO,
BARBADOS AND THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLES
PAUL HOETJES, AMOY LUM KONG, R. JUMAN, ANDRE MILLER,
MALDEN MILLER, KALLI DE MEYER AND ALLAN SMITH
ABSTRACT
The islands of the eastern Caribbean continue to face the same threats to their coral reefs
that were described in 2000. These threats include: sedimentation and pollution from
coastal development; anchor and diver damage from tourism; overfishing due to increased
demand; and coral bleaching and increasingly frequent and severe storms as a result of
climate change. The effects of climate change have resulted in the degradation of shallow
reefs throughout the eastern Caribbean, whereas deeper reefs have generally been less
affected. Some islands have established effective management institutions and monitoring
programs that are either well supported or are capable of generating their own revenues.
However, others are hampered by inadequate legislation or lack of enforcement of existing
legislation, and insufficient human and financial resources. The use of volunteer Reef Check
teams for coral reef monitoring has increased management capacity in many areas. There is
a need to expand upon these efforts and demonstrate the benefits derived from monitoring
programs and protected areas in order to increase support from local governments.
INTRODUCTION
This region includes the islands of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
plus Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and the Netherlands Antilles. Coral reefs are critical to
the economies of these islands for tourism and fisheries, but little is known about the
status and trends of these reefs and management is often rudimentary and inconsistent.
The reefs of Antigua and Barbuda cover about 25km 2 , with large bank reefs, patch reefs and
fringing reefs around both islands. Dominica is a steep high island with little reef
development, whereas on St. Lucia there are extensive coral reefs off the south and east
coasts. Those on the west coast grow mainly as veneers on volcanic rock, but this is the
side favoured by the tourists. In Grenada there are patch and fringing reefs on the east and
south coasts, and around the islands of the Grenadines. Reefs around Montserrat are
exposed to high-energy waves and also have been damaged by volcanic eruptions. The
Barbados coral reefs cover 16.4km 2 with an additional 7.2km 2 of coral rubble, which is
being consolidated by encrusting algae. The west and south coast has an almost continuous
bank reef, which has recently shown signs of recovery from human impacts and bleaching.
The northeast and southeast coasts have the most reefs and are the least impacted.
The British Virgin Islands consist of 60 small islands, just over 150km 2 in area on a
3,000km 2 shelf of the Puerto Rican Bank. These reefs are very popular for tourists,
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