Diary Bull reef has for several years been the fringing reef with the most coral cover, with a benthic community similar to that of the 1970s (Huston, 1985), and it was the subject of the study which suggested a rapid phase-shift reversal (Idjadi et al., 2006). The fringing reefs around Discovery Bay in Jamaica have seen a number of climate-related challenges in recent years, notably several hurricanes as well as a mass bleaching event in the Caribbean in 2005 (Jones et al., 2008). Palabras clave: huracanes, blanqueo, amp, el cambio climático global warming, Belice, Jamaica.Ĭurrent challenges to coral-reef sustainability, include overfishing, destructive fishing practices, coral bleaching, ocean acidification, sea-level rise, algal blooms, agricultural run-off, coastal and resort development, marine pollution, increasing coral diseases, invasive species, hurricane/cyclone damage, and, in Indo-Pacific regions, crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks. Los niveles de cobertura de coral se mantuvieron hasta el 2012.

La cobertura de coral vivo aumentó de 13±5% en 2006 a 31☗% en 2008, mientras que Acropora cervicornis aumentó de 2☒% en 2006 a 22☗% en 2008. Utilizamos transectos de cinturón SCUBA para registrar la cobertura de coral y analizar imágenes digitales en el arrecife Dairy Bull, en la costa norte de Jamaica en el Caribe, y encontramos que constituye un ejemplo positivo de cómo los arrecifes pueden recuperarse después de una perturbación ambiental importante. Los retos actuales para la sostenibilidad del arrecife de coral incluyen la sobrepesca, prácticas pesqueras destructivas, decoloración de corales, acidificación del océano, aumento del nivel del mar, brotes de estrellas de mar, floraciones algales, escorrentías agrícolas, el desarrollo costero y hotelero, contaminación, enfermedades, especies invasoras y huracanes.

Key words: hurricanes, bleaching, MPAs, climate change, global warming, Belize, Jamaica. Coral cover levels were maintained until 2012. Live coral cover increased from 13±5% in 2006 to 31☗% in 2008, while live Acropora cervicornis increased from 2☒% in 2006 to 22☗% in 2008. We used SCUBA belt transects to record coral cover and digital image analysis in the Dairy Bull Reef off the north coast of Jamaica and found that it is a positive example of how reefs can recover after major environmental disturbance. Current challenges to coral reef sustainability include overfishing, destructive fishing practices, bleaching, acidification, sea-level rise, starfish, algae, agricultural run-off, coastal and resort development, pollution, diseases, invasive species and hurricanes.

Discovery bay jamaica