The Diversity of Life in the Barrier Reef in Belize - Essay Example

The diversity of life in the Barrier reef in Belize and the issues it faces on account of human intrusion: Introduction: Belize is a tiny Central American country that is bordered by Mexico in the north to Caracol, the largest Mayan city known to man, has a number of cave systems for exploration and offers endless opportunities for scuba diving and snorkeling. It is a naturalist’s paradise because the island has so much to offer. The Crooked Tree wildlife sanctuary that is home to 250 species of birds, the Rio brave conservation area that has over 450 species of birds and 200 species of tropical trees, Cockscomb wildlife preserve which is home to a variety of wild-cat species and Shark Ray alley all are but a few of the attractions in Belize. (Greenspan 2007) This essay will try to understand the crisis the ecosystem in the barrier reef is facing and shall discuss the efforts already made to further preservation. Biological interrelationships in the area shall be discussed and also the adverse affect caused if no measures are taken against human intrusion. The barrier reef in Belize is 230 kilometers long and is the longest in the Caribbean. The variety of habitats along the reef supports a large diversity of fauna. “The wide Belize shelf contains an impressive assemblage of habitats: inshore, mid shelf, shelf-edge, and offshore coral reefs, Lagoons Sea grass meadows and mangrove swamps” (UNEP, n.d., p. 4). There is an abundance of micro and macro invertebrate life. The varieties of habitats are used by various species. Many reef and pelagic fish and even several sharks use the mangroves and sea grass beds as nurseries. Tarpon, mullet and stone bass use the inshore waters. The sea grass meadows are also inhabited by the manatees which are an endangered species. The lagoons of the South Water Cay are home to Snook, and Bonefish. The deep slopes are inhabited by Snappers, Hogfish, Groupers, Porgy and Grunt. The variety of pelagic fish found here includes Nurse Shark, Caribbean reef shark, Hammerheads, Bull sharks, Whale sharks. Spiny lobsters and queen conch can also be found in abundance. It is also home to bottle nosed dolphins and three more varieties of dolphins. The world’s largest concentration of the West Indian manatee is found here. Also seen are the Leatherback turtle and the American crocodile. Apart from all this 90 percent of all Scleratinian coral in the Caribbean can be found here. Staghorn coral, Finger coral, Starlet coral, brain corals are some of the variety seen here. Mollusks, Crustaceans, Sponges Hydroids, Ascidians and Copepods have also been recorded here. Thousands of birds visit the lagoon every year during migration. Laughing gulls, Frigate bird, Brown Booby, Common Noddy and the Brown Pelican are a few examples from the 392 resident birds found here (UNEP, n.d. p. 5) The biological interaction among the various species in the barrier reef is even more fascinating than the variety of the fauna. Snapping shrimps a variety found here lives in the internal canals of living sponges. This ecological specialization cannot be found anywhere else. The mutualistic relation between the pistol shrimp and the banded gobie is another example. The shrimp lacks eyesight and the gobie compensates it by guiding the shrimp as it digs into the sand and creates a safe hideout for both species. Also worth mentioning is the symbiotic relation between a sea anemone and the hermit crab. When anemones are attached to crab shells they ward off predators from the crab and in turn get transported to different sources of food. Sponges that live in crevices in the coral feed on phytoplankton and their excrement is in turn utilized by the coral. (Fritz, 1995) Human activity has been there in Belize since the days of the Mayans. They used the site for fishing and even as ceremonial sites and burial grounds. However the reef now faces a number of threats from human activities namely agrochemicals, sewage, fishing, sedimentation and dredging. Species like Finfish, grouper and snapper are fished here for local consumption and the quantity is increasing due to the large influx of tourists. One evidence that can be seen for overfishing is the fact that sea urchins can be seen grazing in open areas this is due to the decreased number of predators. There are also concerns about the adverse impact that the shrimp mariculture is having on the mangrove areas. Eutrophication, depletion of oxygen content in water, occurs due to seepage of fertilizers from the sugarcane and banana plantations. Due to lowered prices of agricultural products there was a trade deficit and since then the local community has turned to tourism to make up for the loss. Increased tourism means faster depletion of natural resources. (Spalding, Raviliour, & Green, 2001) Since oil was discovered in western Belize, there are bound to be amendments to the protected areas policy. The indication that this may happen in the future comes from the fact that something similar has happened in the past. In 1996 the barrier reef was given the status of ‘World Heritage Site’. In spite of this numerous areas including some parts of mangrove islands were sold to individuals. (Gonzalez, 2009) This is bad news for the numerous protected sites around Belize. It must also be noticed that the ecosystem of Belize is an extremely fragile one, studies have yet to be done to understand the optimum way in which the ecosystem and oil companies can co exist. The coral reefs have been losing their color and turning pale and white, a process called bleaching which occurs due to the reduced amount of symbiosis photosynthetic algae called Zooxanthellae, a problem partially attributed to global warming. Due to these problems, a lot of measures have been taken to safeguard and preserve the area. The Government of Belize and the NGOs have started to identify the problems facing the ecosystem and have been passing legislations to control the impact caused by human activity. Many areas along the reef like the Gladden Spit have been declared protected areas. The Hol Chan marine reserve is now a no-take zone. This has been made possible with the efforts of the local population. The area now has significantly higher number of fish and more biomass than the neighboring areas. It has also caused increased availability of fish in surrounding areas. Earlier declared a World Heritage site, the reef is now on the ‘in danger’ list. This is a good step as it will create international awareness about the crisis it faces. There are several NGOs like the ‘Green reef’ who are dedicated and work hard in conserving the barrier reef. The research conducted by the Wildlife Conservation society (WCS) has helped in laying down a set of laws that prohibit fishing in various parts of the reef. As a result fishing is banned in ‘no-take zones’ like south water cay. The WCS also tried to get the local community involved in the process by giving them education about the topic. Cruise ships that visit Belize are required by the Marpol convention to create the least adverse impact. As a result even ballast water in the ships cannot be discharged while the ship is docked at Belize. This is to avoid the contamination of the local ecosystem and avoid the transfer of organisms from one ecosystem to another. Even sewage and other solid wastes must not be jettisoned while the ship is docked. Such waste must be dumped while the ship is more that 10 nautical miles away from the coast. There may be many efforts taken by corporations and governments to reduce the impact and magnitude of decisions taken in boardrooms, but eventually it boils down to the individual’s action. Even the smallest of efforts taken by the individual can have an effect on the environment. Individuals especially locals can have a great impact on the ecosystem. Unlike humans, birds know no barriers or boundaries. It is important for local land owners to be aware of the effect they can have on migratory birds. ‘Birds without Borders’ a conservation effort by the Zoological society of Milwaukee, conducts research and continues to do so for six months every year in Belize. They have summarized and circulated the results to landowners as a result of which many of them have made their backyards bird-friendly. (Birds without Borders, n.d). These efforts involve individual landowners. Individual can contribute in whatever small way they are capable of. Use of plastic and Styrofoam containers must be minimized. Paper bags must be used instead. The local community must see to it that the garbage is disposed of properly. People can use fuel efficient vehicles and thereby reduce pollution. Every individual living in Belize has to come out with ideas as innovative as ‘Birds without borders’, or ‘Green Reef’. A single person may not be able to turn the whole world around but an effort is what makes the difference. There are many more measures that can be adopted to ensure preservation of the property. People must be aware of the designated areas that have been declared as protected zones and must stay away from them. More areas should be designated as ‘no take’ zones. Awareness should be created in schools so that the next generation appreciates the true value of the environment. Even tourists who visit these areas must be made aware that they are visiting a sensitive area and their careless attitude may cause damage to the flora and fauna. Even if oil companies make their foray into Belize, they must be made responsible for the environment. A portion of the revenue gained from oil must be put to use for conserving the environment. All attractions need not be made available to the public throughout the year. There must be a system where certain areas are closed during certain months in order to help the habitat to recover from intrusion by tourists. The number of tourists per tour must also be controlled. Land based and sea based development must be closely monitored to check for any adverse affect. An emergency plan must be prepared to safeguard against oil spills or other emergencies that can take place in the future when oil drilling is started. There has to be a facility to monitor the quality of the marine water and do bacteriological analysis as this can help the government to control pollution and take action against polluters. If no measures are taken to check human intrusion, there will be an irreversible imbalance in the eco system. Everything in a fragile ecosystem is connected to each other. When there is substantial change it is bound to affect everything. When selected species of marine life are subjected to overfishing there will be a change in the food chain system and certain species will flourish more. According to the law fishing in scuba gear and with nets is not allowed. If this is not enforced, lobsters and conch under the size limit may get caught. Frequent hurricanes and global warming have taken a toll on the coral reefs and the ecosystem as a whole. If land use is not monitored it can cause sedimentation and that can be hazardous to coral. There can be many adverse effects if intrusion is not checked. Conclusion: It must be remembered that humans live on borrowed land and although we are supposedly civilized and seem different from all the other species; we are also part of that ecosystem. Since we are the dominant species on the planet it is our duty to live in peaceful coexistence with all the other creatures on the planet and conserve the environment. The problems faced by the barrier reef in Belize are only a small part of the larger problem facing our planet. But it is the diversity of flora and fauna in Belize that attracts more attention from environmentalists and marine zoologists worldwide. Most of the problems faced by Belize are due to human intrusion and it is up to humans themselves to intervene and solve these issues. References: Birds without borders. (n.d). Zoological society of Milwaukee, retrieved March 17, 2010 from http://www.zoosociety.org/Conservation/BWB-ASF/ Fritz, S. (1995). Living Reef. Popular Science , Retreived 18 March, 2010, from http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/OCEAN_PLANET/HTML/ps_living_reef.html Gonzalez, C. (2009, June 24). Clear and present danger for the reef in Belize. Retrieved March 16, 2010, from www.elaw.org: http://www.elaw.org/node/3874 Greenspan, E. (2007). Frommers Belize. New Jersey: Wiley Publishing, Inc. Spalding, M., Raviliour, c., & Green, E. P. (2001). World Atlas of barrier reefs. California: The Universiy of California Press. UNEP. (n.d.). Belize barrier reef reserve system. Retrieved March 18, 2010, from http://www.unep-wcmc.org/sites/wh/pdf/Belize.pdf Young, C. A. (2008, March 3). Conservation letter. Retrieved March 17, 2010, from Tropical Conservation Science: http://tropicalconservationscience.mongabay.com/content/v1/08-03-03- Young.htm Read More