Supporting the management and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in Honduras Photos by George Stoyle    
 
   
Island Ecology
The condition of coastal zones, including beaches and mangroves, are increasingly being realised to be closely linked to the health of coral reef systems. Vegetation on beaches, including coconut palms, bind the loose soils and sand together and decrease erosion from storms or runoff which can otherwise bring sediment, pollutants and pathogens that can kill corals and other benthic organisms.

Mangroves too with their specially adapted root structure not only stabilise muddy sediments and act as a natural buffer between land and sea, but provide a complex and intricate habitat ideal as a protective shelter for juvenile fish and other creatures.

At UCME, studies are focused on assessing the extent and health of the mangrove systems of the island with an eventual aim to investigate their connectivity and influence on the fringing reefs. UCME is also working with Zamorano to investigate strategies to combat a disease epidemic that has killed 95% of coconut palms across Honduras including most of the palms in the Bay Islands.

Utila Aerial by Sabrina Littee
 
 

Utila Centre for Marine Ecology, East Harbour, Utila, Honduras | | +5044253026
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