Report: Caribbean Coral Reef Being Damaged

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-sa/2006/dec/12/121204940.html

BELIZE CITY (AP) - Fertilizer and sediment runoff from sugarcane, banana and pineapple plantations are threatening tourism by damaging a coral reef stretching along the Caribbean coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, according to a report released on Tuesday.

The report by the World Resources Institute and other groups said that reducing pesticides, fertilizers and erosion could help head off increasing damage to the world's second-largest barrier reef, which stretches over 600 miles.

The report estimates that over 80 percent of the sediment and over half of all nutrients that damage the reefs originate in Honduras, whose large rivers drain into the Caribbean.

"Our analysis shows that pollution from farms in Honduras can inadvertently damage the entire Mesoamerican reef, which is an important source of revenue from tourism and fisheries," said Lauretta Burke, an expert in coastal ecosystems for the resources institute and one of the authors of the report.

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[MuseRider]

1. Those are beautiful reefs

I hate to see this. We have to find some balance, hopefully it is not too late.