8.11 Making Connections

CORAL REEFS AND LOBSTER DINNER

Background: Belize is a tiny country in Central America composed of jungle, pine forests, limestone caves, Atlantic Ocean beaches, hundreds of small islands, and the major portion of the longest coral reef in this hemisphere—second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Coral reefs are found in warm, shallow waters and support huge numbers of organisms, estimated at one-fourth of all marine life. They are diverse, productive, and very fragile. The algae in coral reefs produce oxygen and the reef itself acts as a nursery for sea life, as shoreline protection from storms and erosion, and as an important feeding and breeding ground for thousands of species. Well aware of its precious resources, the Belizean government has declared over 40% of the country to be natural parks and reserves, including much of the coral reef and surrounding areas. The major businesses in Belize are tourism and commercial harvesting of fish, lobster, and conch. Can the delicate reef system withstand both uses? In July 2011, a group of 5 people were caught with nearly 300 tiny lobster tails, many weighing less than 1 ounce, and over 200 undersized Queen Conch that were also out of season. A month later, the senior marine conservationist declared that over 85% of the reef was dead, dying, or in serious difficulty.

Case: Investigate the following three important needs. How do we balance them?

1. The need for the preservation of an important world biome that gives us so many ecological services
2. The need for a productive harvest of fish, lobster, and conch each year to support thousands of fishers and to supply hundreds of thousands of consumers with seafood
3. The need for a tourism industry for the enjoyment of millions and for the kind of “clean” industry that can help a small country support itself sustainably

Write a report that focuses on one of the three needs as most important while preserving and maintaining the other two needs. In your report, be sure to use facts to justify what you consider to be the most important need and be sure to include the following:

1. The ecological services provided by a coral reef and an indication of what will happen if the reef is damaged or destroyed
2. The economics and ecology of the seafood industry in a small, rural, coastal country such as Belize
3. The damage, both to the economy and to the ecology, of poaching, and a possible solution
4. The costs and benefits of tourism in a small, rural country
5. Some possible solutions to balancing these issues