Status of the Reserve Report 2008

8/14/2019 Status of the Reserve Report 2008

1/17

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.ToledoInstituteforDevelopment&Environment Tel:+5017222274P.O.Box150 Fax:+50172226551MileSanAntonioRoad Mob:+5016282145PuntaGordaTown Email:[email protected],C.A. Website:www.tidebelize.org

PHMR: Status of the Reserve Report 2008

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.SeniorMarineBiologist

Marine&CoastalResearchandMonitoringProgram


2/17

IntroductionTheToledoInstituteforDevelopmentandEnvironment(TIDE)wasfoundedin1997tomeetthegrowing

environmental

and

development

needs

of

the

Toledo

District.

TIDE's

focus

is

to

enable

community

basedforest,marineandcoastalconservationintheMayaMountainMarineCorridor,whiledeveloping

viableeconomicalternativesforresidentsthatdonotrelyonresourceextraction. TIDEhasgrownfrom

itsinceptionin1997asalocal,grassrootsresponsetomanateepoaching,toaleadingnongovernment

organizationinBelizewithabudgetof~$1.7MillionUS.In2000,aftersixyearsoflobbyingbyTIDEand

community members, the Port Honduras Marine Reserve was declared and TIDE was granted co

managementauthority,withtheFisheriesDepartment,bytheGovernmentofBelize.Thereservewas

establishedtoprotectthephysicalandbiologicalresourcesofPortHondurasanddevelopasustainable

fisheryforthebuffercommunitiesofthereserve.

ThePort

Honduras

Marine

Reserve

covers

an

area

of

160

square

miles

and

encompasses

138

mangrove

cayes. The borders of the reserve run from south of the Rio Grande River to North of Monkey River

TownandEasttotheedgeoftheSnakeCayes(Figure1).Thereserve isdivided into3zones;95% isa

generalusezonewherecommercial,subsistenceandrecreationalfishingactivitiesarepermitted;4%is

designated a conservation zone where notake recreational activities are permitted; and the

remaining1%isdesignatedapreservationzonewherenoactivitiesarepermitted.Inaddition,theuseof

gillnets,longlinesandbeachtrapsisprohibitedanywherewithinthereserve.

Figure1:AreacoveredbythethreezonesofthePortHondurasMarineReserve,Belize.

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


3/17

Since 2003, reasonably consistent monitoring of the key habitats and species within Port Honduras

MarineReservehastakenplaceandlargeamountsofdatahavebeencollected.Upuntilrecently,these

datahadnotbeenthoroughlyanalysedorutilised.Here,wepresentanoverviewofthemonitoringdata

collectedoverthepast5yearsanddiscusswhattheseresultsmeanintermsoftheeffectivenessofthe

reserve.

Ultimately,

these

results

will

be

used

to

develop

the

2009

management

plan

for

the

Port

HondurasMarineReserveandupdatetheprotocolsusedtomonitorthekeyhabitatsandspecieswithin

thereserve.

WaterQualitywithinPHMRThewaterqualityparametersoftemperature,salinityanddissolvedoxygenareimportantcomponents

of the monitoring program. Variations in these parameters can greatly affect the health of the

ecosystem

and

organisms

within

it.

For

example,

an

increase

in

temperature

can

initiate

a

bleaching

responseinhardandsoftcorals(Brown1997,Fittetal.2001)andmayaffectthemetabolismofmany

fishandinvertebrates,especiallyduringtheirearlylifehistory(Mundayetal.2008).Changesinsalinity

can affect reproduction and physiological responses in many organisms including fish and corals

(Vermeij et al. 2006, Koenig et al. 2007), and the level of dissolved oxygen in the water column

determinesthenumbersoforganismsitcansupport(Dubinsky&Stambler1996).

Water quality has been monitored across the Port Honduras Marine Reserve since 1998, albeit some

years were more consistent than others. Typically, eleven sites are surveyed once a month for

temperature,salinityanddissolvedoxygencontentusingaportablewaterqualitymeter.Unfortunately,

afull12monthsurveyhasnotbeencompleted,however,thedatacollecteddoshowsomeinteresting

trends.

Water Temperature

Between 1998 and 2008, water temperature varied with season and among years (Figure 2). On

average,thecoldestmonthswereobservedinwinter,fromNovemberthroughFebruary.FromMarch,

watertemperaturetypicallyrosetoapeak inJulyorAugust,afterwhich itbegantodeclineagain.All

yearsshowsimilarvariationsamongmonths,however,2000wasaparticularlycoldyearcomparedto

theremaining9yearsand2003wasaparticularlywarmyear(Figure2).Althoughthechange inwater

temperaturebetween2000and2003wasonlyapproximately2oC,suchasmalldifferencecanhavea

dramatic

effect

on

the

habitats

and

organisms

subject

to

the

change.

Interestingly,

1998,

a

year

of

extreme bleaching events worldwide, was not a notably warm year for the Port Honduras Marine

Reserve(Figure2).

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


4/17

22.00

24.00

26.00

28.00

30.00

32.00

34.00

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Temperature(oC)

Month

1998

1999

2000

2001

2003

2004

2005

2006

2008

Figure 2: Average monthly water temperature recorded within Port Honduras Marine Reserve from

1998to2008.

Salinity

SalinitywithinPHMRalsoshowedvariationbetweenseasonsandyears (Figure3).The lowestsalinity

wasfrequentlyrecordedattheheightoftherainyseasoninJulyandAugustwhenincreasedfreshwater

from

rivers

enters

the

bay.

At

the

peak

of

the

dry

season

in

March

and

April,

salinity

levels

are

typically

attheirhighest(Figure3).Insomeyears,therewasadifferenceof10pptinsalinitybetweenMarchand

July. If freshwater input through rainfall is expected to have the greatest influence on salinity within

PHMR, then 2005 was one of the driest years since 1998, and 2006 was one of the wettest. Large

fluctuationsobserved insalinityoverany12monthperioddemonstratethesubstantial influencethat

thesurroundingwatershedhasonthePortHondurasareaandthehabitatsandorganismswithinit.

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


5/17

20.00

22.00

24.00

26.00

28.00

30.00

32.00

34.00

36.00

38.00

40.00


Salinity(ppt)

Month

1998

1999

2000

2001

2003

2004

2005

2006

2008

Figure3:AveragesalinityrecordedwithinPortHondurasMarineReservefrom1998to2008.

Dissolved Oxygen

Dissolvedoxygen levelswithinPHMRvariedbetweenyearsandbetweenmonths (Figure4).Typically,

thehighestlevelsofdissolvedoxygenareobservedbetweenDecemberandMarchandthelowestlevels

areobservedfromApriltoAugust.However,therearesomenotableexceptionstothispattern.In2005,

thelowest

dissolved

oxygen

levels

were

recorded

between

February

and

March

and

the

highest

were

recordedbetweenSeptemberandNovember.2005wasalsooneofthedriest(Figure3)andwarmest

(Figure 2) years of the monitoring period which may have had some influence on dissolved oxygen

levels.Anotherexceptiontothegeneralpattern istheyear2008,whichhasshownasteepdecline in

dissolvedoxygen levelsbetweenAugustandNovember.Theseare the lowest dissolvedoxygen levels

recordedwithinPHMRin10yearsofdatacollectionandrequirefurtherinvestigationtoelucidatewhat

isoccurring.

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


6/17

0.00

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

7.00

8.00

9.00

10.00


DissolvedOxygen(m

g/l)

Month

1998

1999

2000

2001

2003

2004

2005

2006

2008

Figure4:AveragedissolvedoxygenlevelswithinPortHondurasMarineReservefrom1998to2008.

CoralReefsCoral reefsareanessentialcomponentof the Port HondurasMarine Reserveand thehealthof coral

reef habitats has a significant influence on the vertebrate and invertebrate populations that inhabit

them. Most importantly, healthy coral reefs, in conjunction with seagrass and mangrove habitats,

supportlargerpopulationsofspeciescomparedtounhealthyreefs.Todeterminereefhealth,avariety

of aspects have been monitored since 2003, including benthic composition, coral diversity, coral

mortality and coral disease. Coral reefs at eight sites within the Port Honduras Marine Reserve have

beenassessedannually,unfortunately,consistentdataregardingcoraldiseaseandmortality isabsent.

BenthiccoverisassessedusingtheAGGRAsurveymethodoflinerpointintercepttransectswherebythe

typeofbenthiccoverisrecordedevery25cmalongsix30metretransectsateachsite.

The average benthic composition within PHMR varied between 2003 and 2008 (Figure 5). Live coral

coverhasincreasedfromanaverageof8% in2003to17%in2008.Incontrast,thecoverofturfalgae

hasdecreasedfromanaverageof14%in2003to8%in2008.Macroalgalcoverhasfluctuatedoverthe

5year

period

from

22%

in

2003

to

12%

in

2008.

Dead

coral

has

been

largely

absent

over

the

5years

and

corallinealgalcoverhasremainedrelativelyconstantatapproximately3%.

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


7/17

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2003 2004 2005 2006 2008

Percentcoverofbenthiccom

ponent

Year

Other

BareSubstrate

Sand

CorallineAlgae

TurfAlgae

Macroalgae

Sponge

Zoanthid

Gorgonian

DeadCoral

LiveCoral

Figure5:AveragebenthiccompositionwithinPortHondurasMarineReservefrom2003to2008.

Lookingspecificallyatlivecoralandmacroalgalcoverateachofthesitesoverthe5yearperiodshowsa

moredetailedpattern(Figure6).From2003to2008thereisagradualdecreaseinmacroalgalcoverand

asimultaneousincreaseincoralcoveracrossthemajorityofsites.Suchchangesinbenthiccovercanbe

an indicationof increased reefhealth which may beassociated with the protection provided through

themarinereserve.However,FrenchmanCaye(FMC)andWilsonCaye(WC)continuetobedominated

bymacroalgaeinto2008.FrenchmanCayeandWilsonCayearecloserinshorethantheothersitesand

thus

are

more

exposed

to

freshwater

and

sediment

input

from

the

watersheds

surrounding

Port

Honduras. Increased sedimentation can limit recruitment of coral species, restrict growth rates of

individual corals and increase coral mortality through smothering (Rogers 1990, Birrell et al. 2005).

Furthermore,EastSnakeCaye(ESC),SouthSnakeCaye(SSC),WestSnakeCaye(WSC)andMiddleSnake

Caye (MSC) are located within the conservation and preservation zones of the marine reserve.

Commercialandrecreationalactivitiesarerestricted intheseareasandassucha largerpopulationof

fishesmaybepresentonthesereefscomparedtoFrenchmanCayeandWilsonCaye.Herbivorousfish

species inparticularhelptocontrolthegrowthofmacroalgaethroughgrazingandthuspromotecoral

recruitmentandsurvival(Mumbyetal.2006,Mumbyetal.2007).Nevertheless,whilethedecrease in

macroalgalcoveroverthe5yearperiodisagoodindicationofincreasingreefhealth,coralcoverisstill

relativelylow.

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


8/17

0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

60.00

ESC

WSC

SSC

MSC

FMC

WC

B2

B3

ESC

WSC

FMC

B3

ESC

WSC

SSC

MSC

FMC

WC

ESC

WSC

SSC

MSC

FMC

WC

B2

ESC

WSC

SSC

MSC

FMC

WC

B2

B3

Cover(%)

SiteandYear

Macroalgae LiveCoral

2003 2004 2005 2006 2008

Figure 6: Cover of coral and macroalgae at sites within Port Honduras Marine Reserve from 2003 to

2008.

Moredetailedsurveysconductedin2008showthecoraldiversityateachofthesitesmonitoredwithin

PortHondurasMarineReserve(Figure7).Atotalof29specieswereobservedacrosstheeightsitesand

the compositionofcoralspeciesdiffers betweensites.The two deeper sites, Bank2 (B2) andBank 3

(B3), are dominated by Agaricia tenuifolia (Lettuce coral), whereas the other sites have a higherproportionofthereefbuildingcorals,Montastraeaspp.Interestingly,allsiteshaveahighproportionofthe

fire

coral,

Milleporaalcicornis.WilsonCaye is the leastdiverse of all the sites and has the lowest

coralcoverwhich,asmentionedpreviously,maybeduetoincreasedsedimentationatthissite.Further

investigationofsedimentationratesacrossPHMRin2009willhelptodeterminewhichsitesreceivethe

mostsedimentationandhowthisaffectsthehabitatsatthosesites.

Interestingly, total coral cover does not denote the number of coral species observed. For example,

Bank 3 (B3) has the highest percent coral cover, yet only 11 coral species were observed along the

transects. In contrast,FrenchmanCaye (FMC) hasone of the lowest percentcovers, yet a total of 12

coralspecieswereobservedalongthetransects.

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


9/17

0

5

10

15

20

25

ESC WSC SSC MSC FMC WC B2 B3

Cover(%)

Site

Ssid Srad

Sint Scub

Ppor Past

M mea Ml am

Mfra Mfav

Mdec Mdan

Mcav Mann

Mali Malc

Isin Efas

Dstr Dsto

Dlab Dcli

Cnat Aten

Apal Alam

Afra Acer

Aaga

1910

11

16

125

15

11

Figure7:CoralspeciescompositionanddiversityateachsitesurveyedwithinthePortHondurasMarine

Reservein2008.Numbersabovebarsdenotetotalnumberofspeciesobserved.

ReefFishInconjunctionwith the coralsurveysconductedwithinPHMR, reef fishsurveyswerealsocarriedout

between2003and2008.At6ofthesitesusedforthecoralreefmonitoring,aminimumofsix30metre

by2metre

transects

were

surveyed

and

the

size

and

number

of

all

reef

fish

encountered

were

recorded.

Figure8showsthedensityofreeffishateachofthesitesoverthe5yearperiod.Reeffishdensitywas

highestatallsitesin2003andhasdecreasedsignificantlysincethen;insomecasesbymorethan50%.

In2003,densityvariedbetweensites,however,in2006and2008,densitywassimilaracrossthe6sites.

Theseresultsdemonstrateasignificantdeclineinreeffishnumbers,possiblythroughoverfishingand/

or loss of habitat within PHMR. Unfortunately data for 2004 and 2005 is largely absent and it is

impossible to tell if the low densities observed at the few sites surveyed is due to incomplete data

collectionoraresponsetoanincidentwithinPHMR.

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


10/17

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

2003 2004 2005 2006 2008

FishDensity(Numbers

/100m2)

Year

WSCESC

MSC

SSC

FMC

WC

Figure 8: Density of reef fish at 6 sites within the Port Honduras Marine Reserve between 2003 and

2008.

ConchStrombusgigas(QueenConch) isoneofthemajorcommercialfisheriesspeciesharvestedfromwithinthegeneralusezoneofPHMRandpopulationshavebeenmonitoredsince2004.Oneroleoftheno

takezones (conservationandpreservationzones)withinthereserve istoprovidearefugeforspecies

fromfishing,

including

queen

conch.

These

areas

enable

populations

to

reproduce

and

reach

maturity

withoutthethreatofbeingcaught.Eventuallypopulationnumberswithinnotakezonesbecome large

enough that spillover into the surrounding general use zone is inevitable and fisheries are

supplemented.

Queenconchpopulationsweremonitoredat12sitesstrategicallyplacedthroughoutPHMRfrom2004

to 2008. At each site, a minimum of four 50 metre transects were surveyed and all queen conch

individualsencounteredwererecorded.Measurementsofshelllengthandlipthicknesswerealsotaken.

NumbersofqueenconchencounteredwithinPHMRhasgraduallydeclinedfrom2004to2008despite

theprotectionofferedbythenotakezones(Figure9).Unexpectedly,between2004and2006numbers

of queen conch recorded in the general use zone was greater compared to the notake zones. One

explanationmaybetheinclusionofasiteatAbaloneCayeintheGeneralUseZone,thelocationofthe

RangersStation.Fishingmaybereducedatthissiteduetotheconstantpresenceandcloseproximityof

therangers.However,in2008numbersofqueenconchrecordedinthenotakezoneswasgreaterthan

inthegeneralusezone.TheseresultssuggestthatthenotakezoneswithinPHMRneedtobeincreased

in order to be effective and patrols within these zones need to be increased to ensure harvesting of

conchfromnotakezonesdoesnotoccur.

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


11/17

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2004 2005 2006 2008

NumberofIndivid

uals

Year

GUZ

NTZ

Figure9:NumbersofQueenConchrecorded inthegeneraluse(GUZ)andnotake(NTZ)zonesofPort

HondurasMarineReservebetween2004and2008.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

GUZ NTZ

AverageShellLength(cm

)

ZonewithinPHMR

2004

2005

2006

2008

Figure 10:Averageshell length of Queen Conch within general use (GUZ) and notake (NTZ) zones of

PortHondurasMarineReservebetween2004and2008.Theredlineindicates17.8cm,thelegalsizefor

harvestingunderBelizeFisheriesRegulations.

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


12/17

Figure10showstheaverageshelllengthofqueenconchindividualsencounteredwithinthegeneraluse

and notake zones of PHMR between 2004 and 2008. For all years, average queen conch length is

greaterthanthelegalsizelimitforharvestingunderBelizeFisheriesRegulations.However,itwouldbe

expectedthatqueenconchencounteredwithinnotakezoneswouldbelargerthanthoseinthegeneral

usezoneduetotheprotectionprovidedagainstfishing.Shelllengthofqueenconchwasgreaterinthe

notake

zones

during

2005

and

2006,

but

not

during

2008

suggesting

that

further

protection,

through

enlargement of the notake zones, is required to enable queen conch to reach a larger size, thus

ensuringreproductionoccurs.

Lip thickness of queen conch is used as a measure of maturity, with a thickness of 0.5cm and above

beingconsideredmature(Gascoigne&Lipcius2004).Itcantakeanaverageofthreetofouryearsfora

queenconchtoreachmaturity,andthusreproduce.Harvestingqueenconchwhileimmaturecanhave

seriousandirreversibleconsequencesforthepopulation,andwillultimatelyleadtothecollapseofthe

fishery.ThenotakereserveswithinPHMRprovidearefuge forqueenconchtoenablethemtoreach

maturityandreproduce.Figure11showsaverage lipthicknessofqueenconch inthenotakezones is

alwaysgreater

than

0.5cm,

whereas

in

the

general

use

zone

the

average

lip

thickness

is

frequently

less

than0.5cm.Thesedata indicate thatmaturequeenconchhavebeenharvested fromthegeneraluse

zone,leavingonlyimmatureindividuals.Maturequeenconchwithinthenotakezonesindicatethatthe

areaiseffectiveinallowingindividualstoreachmaturity.

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

GUZ NTZ

AverageLipThickness(cm)

ZonewithinPHMR

2004

2005

2006

2008

Figure11:Average lip thicknessofQueenConch in thegeneraluse (GUZ)andnotake (NTZ)zonesof

Port Honduras Marine Reserve from 2004 to 2008. The red line indicates 0.5cm, above which queen

conchareconsideredtobemature.

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


13/17

LobsterAs with queen conch, Panulirus argus (spiny lobster) is also a major commercial fisheries speciesharvested from the general use zone of PHMR. To assess population numbers and determine the

effectiveness

of

the

notake

zones

on

spiny

lobster

abundance,

monitoring

of

populations

began

in

2003.However,duetoinconsistentdatapriorto2005,onlydatafrom2005to2008ispresentedhere.

Eleven sites across the reserve were surveyed using two 30 minute timed swims conducted

simultaneously by two diver pairs. Surveys were conducted in February, prior to the closure of the

fisheryandinJune,justpriortothefisheryreopening.In2008,anadditionalsurveywasconductedin

October, fourmonthsafterthe fisheryreopened.Foreachspiny lobsterencountered,dataregarding

carapacelength,sex,presenceoftarspotsandeggswererecorded.

Overall,numbersofspinylobsterobservedwithinPHMRhavedeclinedbetween2005and2008(Figure

11). Prior to 2006, lobster numbers were greater in the notake zones compared to the general use

zone,suggesting

that

the

no

take

areas

were

providing

asafe

refuge

for

spiny

lobster.

However

in

2008,

numbersobserved inthegeneralusezonesweregreaterthan inthenotakezones(Figure11).These

dataindicateapossibleincreaseinthenumbersofspinylobsterharvestedfromPHMRoradecreasein

reproductionoflobsters.Furtherinvestigationisrequiredtofullyelucidatewhatisoccurringwithinthe

spiny lobster populations. An increase in the size of the notake areas can only benefit population

numbers(Cox&Hunt2005).

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

20.0

Feb05 Jun05 Mar06 Jun06 Mar08 Jun08 Oct08

NumberofIndividuals

Year

GUZ

NTZ

Figure12:Numbersofspinylobsterobservedinthegeneraluse(GUZ)andnotake(NTZ)zonesofPort

HondurasMarineReservebetween2005and2008.

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


14/17

Despite the decline in spiny lobster numbers, the average size of lobsters (carapace length) has

remainedrelativelyconstantoverthe3yearperiod(Figure13).Inaddition,notakezonesarehavinga

positive influence on lobster size, with the average carapace length being greater in notake zones

compared to the general use zone (Figure 13).October 2008 is the exception to this andmaybe the

result of increased fishing activity in the months following the opening of the fishery. Whether a

reductionin

size

within

the

no

take

zones

is

due

to

movement

of

lobsters

to

available

habitat

within

the

general use zone or due to illegal fishing activity is unclear. Spiny lobster populations require further

monitoringtofullyunderstandtheirpopulationdynamicswithinthezonesofPHMR.

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

Feb05 Jun05 Mar06 Jun06 Mar08 Jun08 Oct08

AverageCarapaceLength(cm)

Year

GUZ

NTZ

Figure13:Averagecarapacelengthofspinylobsterinthegeneraluse(GUZ)andnotake(NTZ)zonesof

PortHondurasMarineReservefrom2005to2008.

ConclusionsThe aim of this report is to present the results of the monitoring program to date and evaluate the

effectiveness

of

the

Port

Honduras

Marine

Reserve

in

conserving

both

habitat

diversity

and

viable

populationsofcommercialspecies.TheresultsdemonstratethatPHMR iseffective inmanyways,but

morecanbedonetoimprovetheprotectionprovidedformanykeyspecies.

Water quality monitoring shows that regular freshwater input from rivers can affect even the most

distant sites of PHMR through changes in salinity and sedimentation. Dissolved oxygen content is

generally good, however, more recently this has begun to decline and warrants further investigation.

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


15/17

Coral cover is shown to be increasing and macroalgal cover decreasing at many sites, however fish

density isdeclining. Inparticular,herbivorousfish,suchasparrotfishes,providea fundamentalrole in

maintaining thebalancebetweencoralandalgalcoveron reefs (Mumbyetal.2006)andmaintaining

healthyfishstocksisakeycomponentinpreventingphaseshiftstoalgaldominatedreefs(Hughesetal.

2007).Aconsiderabledeclineinpopulationnumberscanbesufficienttoallowariseinmacroalgalcover

andsubsequent

decline

in

coral

cover

and

reduced

coral

recruitment

(Aronson

&

Precht

2000,

Lirman

2001,Jompa&McCook2002).FishpopulationswithinPHMRneedtobeevaluatedfurthertodetermine

whichspeciesareundermostthreatandhowprotectioncanbeimproved.

The two major fisheries species of PHMR, queen conch and spiny lobster, have both shown large

declinesoverthepast3to5years,despitetheexistenceofnotakezones.Incontrast,thesizeofboth

specieshasremainedrelativelyconstantand inthemajorityofcasesthenotakezonescontain larger

individuals of each species. However, both fisheries need considerable improvement to remain

sustainable. For lobster, the closed season allows population numbers to increase, however upon

openingthefishery,numbersarerapidlydepleted.Suchfluctuationsinpopulationnumberssuggestan

unstable

population

that

cannot

continue

to

sustain

current

levels

of

harvesting

without

further

protection.

Improvementsneedtobemadeinmanyareasofboththemonitoringprogramandthemanagementof

PortHondurasMarineReserve.Whiledatahasbeencollectedonavarietyofkeyhabitatsandspecies

foranumberofyears,largeinconsistenciesandmissingdatamakedetailedanalysisimpossible.Inorder

toimprovethemonitoringprogramandsubsequentassessmentofthereserve,specificprotocolsneed

to be adhered to for each habitat and species monitored. Surveys need to be conducted at regular

intervals and over many years to allow any trends or patterns to become evident. When conducting

eachsurveyallsitesneed tobe includedandtheminimumdatacollectedateachsite.Typicallywith

previous

data,

sites

were

regularly

missing

from

surveys

and

in

many

cases

only

half

the

data

required

wascollectedfromsites. Inaddition,morekeyspeciesandmarineprocessesneedtobe incorporated

intothemonitoringprogramtoensurethatathoroughevaluationofthereserveseffectivenesscanbe

made in the future. For example, it is recommended that data be collected for sea turtles,sea birds,

manatees,commercialfisheriesspeciesandsedimentationrates.

The management of the reserve also needs to be addressed. While this report has some positive

aspects,manykeyspeciesareindecline.Itisevidentthatthereserveisnotfunctioningaseffectivelyas

itcouldinpreservingpopulationnumbersandbenthichabitats.TheareaofnotakezoneswithinPHMR

accountsforonly5%ofthereservearea,which is15% lessthanthearearecommendedbytheBelize

Fisheries

Department.

In

addition,

studies

have

shown

that

many

species

utilise

seagrass

beds,

mangrovesandcoralreefsatvariousstagesoftheirlifehistory(Robertsetal.2003,Mumby2006).Thus,

an increase in thenotakeareaofPHMRwouldensure inclusionofa largerareaofeachofthesekey

habitats. It isrecommendedthatthenotakezoneswithinPHMRbe increasedto20%,eitherthrough

the expansion of the existing conservation and preservation zones or through the creation of new

conservationandpreservationareas,oracombinationofboth.Theresultsofthisexpansioninnotake

NicolaL.Foster,PhD.


16/17

areas will not be evident immediately as it will take time for species to reproduce and increase

opulationnumbers.However,thelongtermbenefitstothePortHondurasareawillbesubstantial.p

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Documents

Status of the Reserve Report 2008