Overview

Alteration of the natural landscape for development, road construction, or agriculture can have adverse impacts on coral reefs. These human-induced changes cause sediment, nutrients and other pollutants to drain through rivers and streams and enter coastal waters. The threat associated with land clearing is higher in areas of steep relief, intense precipitation, and where soils are erosive in nature. Appropriate land-use practices in erosion-prone areas are essential in order to minimize these threats.

This project aims to:

• Link patterns of land use within watersheds to the impacts at coral reefs, and identify reefs at greatest risk of degradation;
• Identify watersheds most vulnerable to erosion and those which contribute the most sediment and pollution to coastal waters;
• Adapt tools to forecast potential trends, evaluate different policy or development options, and facilitate improved land management within the region;
• Use the results of the models and diagnostic tools to help educate and encourage key stakeholders to adopt a suite of “better management practices” to reduce impacts on the coastal and marine resources.

WRI has produced watershed based analysis of threats to coral reefs in two areas:

• Mesoamerican Reef (Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala) - available in English and Spanish (Análisis de Cuencas Hidrológicas en el Arrecife Mesoamericano)
• US Virgin Islands