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•• WWhhaatt iiss ccoorraall:: aanniimmaall,, ppllaanntt oorr rroocckk?? •• UUnniitteedd bbyy aa WWoorrlldd TTrr ee aa ss uu rr ee in in MMeessooaammeerriiccaa •• MMovingoving TTowardsowards FisheriesFisheries CerCertificationtification inin thethe MMACRACR •• MMaannaatteeee PPoosstteerr ISSN 1 - 409 - 2 786 Contents Welcome. 3 This magazine was produced by the Current Events. .4 Communications Department of WWF Central • Are corals animals, plants or rocks?. .4 America and published in 2000. The partial or total • United by a World Treasure in reproduction of the articles and illustrations Mesoamerica . .7 contained here in is permitted, provided that the • New co - management model transforms source is always mentioned and a copy of the Cayos Cochinos, Honduras. .13 publication is sent to: • Conserving for the Community means working with WWF Central America the Community. .17 P.O. Box 70 - 7170 CATIE • A spill in the Gulf of Honduras could Turrialba, Costa Rica destroy marine resources. .20 Phone: (506) 556 1383 / 556 1737 • Certification of fishing industry begins..23 Fax: (506) 556 1421 Email: [email protected] News. .26 • Eco-regions generate expectations Editorial Board: Miguel Cifuentes A. in Panama . 26 Steven Gretzinger Sylvia Marín Training. 28 Sandra Andraka G. • Scholarship Program supports Oscar Brenes Mesoamerican Reef . 28 Miguel Jorge • What, where and when. .29 Editor: Laura Vilnitzky S. Grains of Sand. .31 • Useful Tips . .. 31 Graphic Design and Production: Laura C. Cerdas P. Manatee Poster. Center pages Laura Vilnitzky S. Contributors: Elvia Ledezma The authors are responsible for their own articles. The opinions The geographical designations and material contained in this expressed therein do not necessarily reflect the views of WWF. magazine do not imply any judgment, on the part of WWF, The photographs published in this edition are the property of their regarding the legal status of countries, territories or regions, or the authors. WWF has the right to publish them in this edition only. demarcation of their boundaries or limits. 2 Dear Readers: There is no doubt that our coasts and seas are essential for the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable development of Central America, a narrow strip of land bordered by the world’s two largest oceans: the Pacific and the Atlantic. The internal migratory processes taking place in the Central American countries have resulted in more and more people concentrating in the region’s coastal zones, thus increasing pressures on the natural resources found in the surrounding seas. Even activities that might appear harmless to the environment, such as ecotourism, can produce serious effects on coastal and marine ecosystems, unless necessary precautions are taken to ensure that these activities and the region’s natural resources are managed in a sustainable way. The proper management of coastal and marine ecosystems largely depends on what occurs inland and in the highland areas of the region’s short river valleys. For this very reason, we need to take consensus-based decisions and actions that will enable us to tackle our common problems together. Mesoamerica boasts one of the world’s largest coral reef systems, stretching the entire length of the Caribbean coasts of Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and up to Mexico. As a highly productive natural system of incalculable importance to the region’s economic development, the Mesoamerican Reef System (MRS) deserves preferential attention to guarantee its long-term conservation and the sustainable use of its resources. This is precisely what the four countries that share the MRS are trying to do in order to guarantee the well being of the hundreds of thousands of people whose subsistence and development depend on the continued existence and good health of the coral reefs. Studies to discover the location and dynamics of natural populations and communities, the creation and effective management of protected areas and those under special management, the certification of fisheries, the prevention of disasters and accidents in port areas, are all vital and urgent actions to assure the quality, quantity and continued existence of the region’s marine and coastal resources. In the following pages we offer some examples of the projects and initiatives that are under way in Mesoamerica to conserve our marine and coastal resources, particularly the coral reefs. What we need is the contribution and commitment of everyone to achieve these objectives and guarantee the success of those projects. A participatory approach to natural resource management or co-management could be the key to ensure this success, thereby opening up the options for sustainable development in this region and in the world. In offering this edition of WWF Central America I would like to thank all our readers for their continued support for this publication and to wish them success in their future endeavors. Miguel Cifuentes Arias Regional Representative WWF Central America 3 C U R R E N T E V E N T S Are corals animals, plants or rocks? * By Jorge Cortés Corals are marine animals that have a But there is a difference. Most coral species are symbiotic relationship with algae (plants) and found in the warm, shallow waters of tropical produce a kind of skeleton made of calcium seas. These corals have symbiotic algae called carbonate or limestone (rock). As animals, zooxanthellae in their internal tissue, which in corals belong to the group of cnidarians, which some cases may constitute nearly half of their also includes medusae or jellyfish, sea biomass (in other words, the weight of the anemones, sea fans and other even stranger animal part is very similar to the weight of the creatures. These are simple animals with only algae). Zooxanthellae produce organic matter two layers of tissue and a ring of tentacles from inorganic molecules and light. Like plants, around the mouth. Many species live at the they produce oxygen as a byproduct of bottom of the sea in large colonies of thousands photosynthesis. The food and oxygen of individuals. Like other animals, they eat produced within the coral are used by the organisms that live in the water. They must animal to live. In turn, the waste from the coral transfer gases and produce waste like any provides nutrients for the zooxanthellae. For other animal. For these reasons, corals are these reasons, corals are also studied from the studied from the perspective of zoology, the perspective of botany, the science dedicated to science dedicated to the study of animals. the study of plants. Photo: Jorge Cortés Coco Island, Costa Rica. 4 C U R R E N T E V E N T S But there is more. Corals produce a skeleton of calcium carbonate, a material similar to cement. This skeleton is produced from molecules present in the seawater. Calcification, as the production of limestone skeleton is called, is carried out by the animal with the help of zooxanthellae. The skeletons produced by corals accumulate at the bottom of the sea, like rocks, and with the passage of time gradually form a coral reef, a structure that can be preserved in the fossil records. For these reasons, corals are studied from the point of Dic hocoenia st ok esi view of geology, the science dedicated to the study of rocks and fossils. Based on the above description, we can see that corals are animals, that act like plants and die like rocks. But they are much more than that. Corals gradually form reefs that are three- dimensional marine structures, found in shallow tropical waters. These reefs contain the greatest biological diversity to be found in the ocean: all types of algae, plants and animals, as well as a great variety of interactions, some of these Underwater view of Coco Island, Costa Rica. extremely complex in which many different organisms participate. Coral reefs play an important role in recycling compounds on the planet, such as CO2 for example. They are sites for the reproduction, recruitment and development of innumerable species, some of commercial importance such as lobster and pink conch. Coral reefs provide a source of income for many people, either from fishing, or more recently, from tourism and the extraction of important substances for use in medicine. D i p l o r ia la b y r i n t h i - Photos: Jorge Cortés 5 C U R R E N T E V E N T S At present, the world’s corals are suffering negative impacts from a number of factors. The main impact is from sedimentation caused by deforestation, bad farming practices and the disturbance of coastal areas. These sediments choke or bury the corals and kill them, or else they gradually weaken and degrade them, since these animals have to invest energy in cleaning themselves. The worst aspect of anthropogenic impacts (those caused by humans) is that they are generally both acute and chronic, allowing corals no opportunity to recover. Coral reefs benefit us all and for this reason, the study, conservation Pocillopor a capit at a Photo: Jorge Cortés and rational use of these productive ecosystems is everyone’s responsibility. Whether we are interested in animals, plants or even rocks, corals are all that and more. They are essential to sustain life on Earth, and are builders of areas containing a rich biodiversity, a source of food, chemical products and employment. In addition, they are very beautiful places. Coral reefs are very ancient ecosystems, constructed by different organisms during different periods: by bivalves in the Cretaceous period and by algae or bacteria prior to this era. At present, the main reef builders are corals and calcareous algae. Coral reefs have survived for millions of years and, although they sometimes they appear to die out, they eventually begin to grow again. However, the combined pressures of natural events and the impact of human activity are currently doing away with the world’s coral reefs.

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