Status of coral reefs and associated ecosystems in Southern Tropical America: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panamá and Venezuela

Abstract

Algae are the most abundant reef organisms in most of the countries; high coral cover does occur at numerous reef locations at the Caribbean (~70%) and Pacific (~95%) coasts. No major changes in live coral cover have been observed recently in the region; some localised decline and recovery trends are evident for each country. Coral reefs in the region experience many natural and human threats, and predictions suggest that nearly 50% of reefs are at very low risk of decline in 5-10 years, even considering global climate change, and around 40% of reefs could be under high risk of decline in the mid-long term (>10 years). Massive coral bleaching occurred in southern tropical America during 2005, but the severity varied across the region. Reef monitoring has increased, but low funding for monitoring programs occurs all countries; socio-economic monitoring is restricted to Brazil. Information on reef fisheries from monitoring programs is scarce, however, the consensus is for depletion of coral reefs resources, particularly in the Caribbean; and seagrass and mangrove communities are mainly threatened by coastal development, sedimentation, pollution, and deforestation.