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

Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2002
ICRAN
RAMSAR
BONAIRE NATIONAL MARINE PARK, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES
– ICRAN DEMONSTRATION SITE
Bonaire is in the southern Caribbean about 100km north of Venezuela, and one of the
islands in the Netherlands Antilles. The island is approximately 40km by 11km with a
land area of 288km 2 , and includes the small uninhabited island of Klein Bonaire,
750m off the western coast. The Marine Park was established in 1979, but not
actively managed from 1984 until 1991, when dedicated Dutch Government funds
were provided. There is comprehensive legislation for the Marine Park area, which is
enforced over the 2,700 hectares of extensive coral reefs and seagrass beds, and
mangrove-lined bays, from high water to 60m depth around Bonaire and Klein
Bonaire. There are 5 Ramsar sites on Bonaire, 3 of which are Salinas (salt lakes), the
semi-enclosed bay of Lac on the windward shore and the island of Klein Bonaire is
also a Ramsar site, with 690ha of limestone platform and the vegetation. After the
success of the Saba National Marine Park, the Bonaire MPA followed as one of the
first in the world to introduce a diver user fee, raising enough funds to become selfsufficient.
In 1999 the MPA was given National Park status, having complied with the
requirements of the Netherlands Antilles Nature Policy Plan i.e. legal protection,
sufficiently large, representative of local nature, and with effective and sustainable
management in place.
Ecological Monitoring: There has been regular coral reef monitoring since the first
baseline study in 1983 of the leeward slopes of Bonaire and Klein Bonaire. Since
1974 a series of photographic quadrats (3 x 3m2) has been monitored annually at 4
sites at Karpata to study coral cover and diversity. These show a steady decline in
coral cover and diversity at all depths except 40m. The greatest loss of total coral
cover has been at 20m where coral cover declined from over 70% in 1974 to
approximately 7% in 2001. Causes of coral loss are related to: increases in the alga
Lobophora sp. which is out-competing corals in the deep reef environment;
overgrowth by the colonial ascidian Trididemnum solidum; effects of repeated
bleaching events; and coral disease. The most significant loss of coral cover
occurred in the early 1990s during a major bleaching event in September 1991, but
also correlated with substantial increases in tourism within the coastal zone. The
Bonaire reefs are still amongst the best in the Caribbean and coral losses on Bonaire
are less than elsewhere. Marine Park staff began to monitor photo-quadrats at 15
sites along the leeward shore in 1994 (36 photos each 1 x 0.7m) at 10m and 20m.
Preliminary results indicate that the reefs are in good condition.
Data on fish populations were collected in 1972 and again in 1994. The 1994 study
compared heavily-dived and little-dived reefs and results indicate that fish biomass
was high, with a good balance of herbivores and carnivores. More recent anecdotal
evidence suggests that carnivore populations are declining with few grouper present
on Bonaire’s reefs, although parrotfish are especially abundant. Local volunteer
divers, directed by the Marine Park, have conducted annual Reef Check monitoring
since 1997 within the Marine Reserve north of Karpata. This has generated
considerable local publicity for the annual event.
Bonaire has actively participated in CARICOMP monitoring since 1995 with a
permanent coral reef study site located at Barcadera (10 permanent 10m transect lines).
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