Island Vibes Magazine

Caribbean Coral Reef Erosion

Posted on 14. Nov, 2009 by admin in Business, Politics, Travel

Will the Cruising Industry Accept Responsibility?

By Anubhav Kapoor

The Caribbean was among the first coastal regions across the globe that voluntarily ventured into conducting extensive sea-surface temperature studies. During one such elaborate ocean water study in 2005, it was recorded that surface water temperatures in the Caribbean periodically rose by nearly two degrees for sustained intervals. These studies have been taken further to unearth the harmful effects of rising marine-habitat temperatures and it is now evident that the billion-dollar cruising industry is contributing to the destruction of coastal ecologies beyond conventional understanding. Pollutants and chemicals found in cruise-ship emissions are destructive beyond the realm of releasing toxic substances that kill marine life — they are warming up the oceans and causing large-scale, irreversible erosion of the Caribbean coral heritage.

Understanding Caribbean Coral Erosion due to Rising Temperatures

The erosion of coral reefs begins with the corals leaching out a typical kind of algae. These algae have been integral to coral development, being a part of the coral reef nutrition cycle. However, with the rising sea temperatures, these algae have been forced to dump their coral habitats and move towards cooler northern shores. Without these algae, the corals slowly inch towards a premature demise, a process also called Bleaching, because the dead corals resemble white-colored skeletons.

The environmental stress induced on corals isn’t limited to just the bleaching process induced by rising sea temperatures. The removal of the beneficial algae has created conditions that are suited for a new type of algae, called Symbiodinium trenchi. This rather unknown alga was previously believed to have saved many coral reefs as it slowly replaced the dying, natural algae. However, these new algae aren’t suited for coral habitats since they compete intensively for nutrition, often leading to stunted coral development and have caused overall shrinkage in the reef size. The most disturbing aspect about Symbiodinium algae is that they will continue to multiply unprohibited since the rising sea temperatures create an amicable environment for their survival. For many environmentalists, the presence of Symbiodinium is a benchmark for rising global temperatures, i.e. if they continue to thrive — it means that the seas are still being warmed beyond conventional levels.

If this theory is to be believed, merely approximating the degree of warming that Caribbean sea waters have endured in a short span of 2005 to 2009 is astonishing — during the 2005 studies, Symbiodinium was found in trace amounts and now, its occurrence has risen to nearly 50% among all dense Caribbean coral reef shores!

Deplorable Coastal Sanitation: The Cruising Industry Perspective

Yes, the oceans are being warmed on a global scale but as far as reef degradation in the Caribbean is concerned, the problem has assumed an endemic nature because the problem has been precipitated by environmentally degrading cruise ships and vessel tankers. If the problem of coral reef erosion in the Caribbean waters has to be addressed, the environmental standards of ship vessels and the overall sea transportation structure needs to be reassessed. It is worth highlighting that commercial tankers were never environmentally compatible, so their present status of being the most prominent, marine polluters is not shocking. Given the volumes market they service for North and South American ports, hoping for any significant surge in their quest of becoming ecologically friendly is being optimistic beyond reason.

However, the booming Caribbean cruising industry, servicing educated global travelers cannot be offered the same leverage. Vacationers in the Caribbean have often been blamed for the deploring standards of coastal sanitation in many island nations, with the common notion being that tourists are largely guilty of dirtying the beaches. However, lavish cruise vessels guilty of large-scale, untreated sewage dumping and violating air-quality standards often go unnoticed. With most cruise-ship passengers being international vacationers, it is obvious that they are not bothered about environmental issues being faced by the regional Caribbean population. Hence, this responsibility has to be taken upon by the local cruise ship operators to ensure that such leisure vacations become environmentally compatible.

Initiatives Taken but Slack Regulations Overrule

Recently, a small initiative has been taken in this regard with some leading cruise ship operators agreeing for their ships to be Environmental Graded. The grading program has been initiated by the Friends of the Earth and the initial grading pattern indicates that the problem of sewage treatment is common to even the most upmarket of cruise operators. Even basic air-pollution control measures weren’t visible among most of the cruising brands.

Coral reef degradation resulting from the cruising industry is very apparent along Haiti’s coastal shores, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica but government intervention to address the situation is minimal. What is even more shocking is that despite pollution-control benchmarks being set by the MARPOL Protocol and the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and other Materials, the increasing level of marine pollution hasn’t engaged much criticism on global forums. The best example to highlight this laxity in regulatory control is the open violation of the Basel Convention. This was regarded as one of the most significant international treaties that would help to restrict the transportation of hazardous waste materials across the Caribbean waters. Yet, its implementation is hardly visible and even smaller cruise vessels often double-up as carriers, ferrying containers carrying chemical refuse that is dumped into the seas.

It would be fair to comment that a part of this predicament is owed to negligent environmental regulations in some international connecting ports like Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral and Miami — and this is despite the US leading the global forum at the highly anticipated 2009 Copenhagen World Environmental Meet. Cruise operators who still haven’t accepted their responsibility in handling this issue probably don’t realize that conserving the Caribbean coral reefs is no longer about presenting oneself as being ‘fashionably green’ — it is a bare minimum necessity for sustaining the Caribbean and themselves. After all, if this natural marine ecosystem is destroyed beyond redemption, how will the Caribbean engage international tourists who come aboard these cruise ships?

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