§Abstract
One of the areas examined, the Suva Barrier Reef, off of Laucala Bay, Suva, Fiji, is a highly damaged environment that is hypothetically highly affected by natural stressors, as well as large amounts of anthropogenic inputs including sewage and industrial pollution. Initial inspection of the largely barren, bleached reefs shows that this area is suffering from stressors. For quantitative analysis, I used line intercept transects to determine patterns of benthic cover. Potential causes for patterns in benthic cover were examined using an area map, salinity, and temperature measurements.
The second case study is used to examine an area of the Port of Honduras off the coast of Belize. The Government of Belize has identified this area for potential protection due to its unique habitats, contribution to ecological trophic webs, scientific, economic, and social importance, as well as its direct connection to a series of terrestrial protected areas. This area is in a much more pristine state than Laucala Bay in Fiji. The reefs are healthy and unbleached, numerous nesting sites for turtles abound. Furthermore, numerous Ancient Mayan sites found on the Cayes remain relatively undisturbed. The area does not include any extensive population or industrial centers and does appear, by cursory visual analysis, to be “ecologically healthy”. If this area gains protection, the fact that it would be the final in a series of protected biologic corridors would effectively magnify potential beneficial effects for bio-diversity through large scale habitat conservation.
The need to evaluate the implementation of protective management strategies is dire. Recently tourist visitation has increased and will likely exponentially continue due to a new large highway being constructed in the area, which was formally accessible, only by a rough road. The potential environmental change is further magnified by increases in unregulated fishing, particularly by natives of the surrounding countries Honduras and Guatemala. The implications of this increased environmental pressure could be massive changes in ecological functionality and a potentially rapid decrease of biologic diversity.
To establish baseline data for this area I present a case study of the interaction of freshwater input from rivers, mangroves, sea grasses, and secondary productivity.
The planned management of this area factors in ecological principles such as island bio-geography and the importance of conservation of bio-diversity, along with physical principles of hydrology. This study is important to see how such integrated approaches are currently being used and to determine how management should differ from that in Fiji, each being tailored to its own cultural, socio-economic environments and individual ecological intricacies.
To question and possibly increase the validity of conclusions drawn from these scientific studies in establishment of management and protection in these areas, “external factors” such as directness of dependence and cultural interactions and beliefs on the environment are examined. Other important factors considered are the impact of the level of development and the level of evident environmental degradation and their importance in structuring management plans.
To conclude this section, I compare and contrast the external factors in both study areas to determine possibilities for management strategies. I examine the need for grassroots involvement and management for achieving realistic, continuing, sustainable, economically, and environmentally sound management. Belize, for example, receives major aid from USAID and other external sources. Often this aid is plugged into certain projects for a fairly small number of years. Projects can fail if sufficient local managerial and basal structures are not emplaced. Furthermore, management must contain local involvement from the earliest stages if the needs of the community are to be met. Following this discussion, I extrapolate generalities from my examinations that can be applied to the shaping of future studies and management strategy in other areas.