The Project
Mexican Marine Expedition in the Caribbean Sea

Global Vision International’s ambitious and unique coral reef research expedition supports and assists the work of local NGO’s and government groups, international NGO’s and universities on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Survey – a programme funded, in part, by the World Bank. The reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world and the largest coral system within the Atlantic Ocean, stretches from the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, down south through Belize and Guatemala, to the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras.

The Mexican State of Quintana Roo has approximately 650km of coral reef that represents the Mexican portion of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. The reef has an important value for fisheries and tourism, activities that at the same time represent a high environmental risk. GVI’s expedition is based within and around the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, Mexico’s first biosphere reserve. Sian Ka’an is recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO under criteria III and IV, and a member of the ‘Man and the Biosphere’ programme, which promotes the integration of human activities and natural resource conservation. At present, scuba diving is not allowed within Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve for recreational purposes. However, GVI and Amigos de Sian Ka’an have been granted a research license by Sian Ka’an Biosfera Reserva. As a volunteer, you will be assisting in a range of community-led environmental research and awareness projects, including:

• The collection of coral reef characterisation and monitoring data in the northern part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, which will help form a comprehensive picture of the ecological health of the northern region of reef
• Seasonal crocodile nesting surveys (when available) to determine crocodile populations and breeding success in the northern part of the reserve
• The crocodile dietary study (when available), determining the population dynamics of the two species of crocodile, and the prey species and quantity in the northern part of the reserve
• The seasonal sea turtle nesting survey, determining the species and breeding success of sea turtles nesting in the northern part of the reserve. (Nesting survey is seasonal, but turtles can be seen in water at all times of year)
• Training local fishermen to survey multi-species spawning aggregations and develop sustainable fisheries policies
• Developing the expedition base as an ‘Ecological Research and Awareness Centre’
• Education and awareness programmes at local schools, hotels, the expedition base and in the open environment.

Main Project Areas

GVI's primary partners on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Survey are the non-governmental organisation Amigos de Sian Ka’an (ASK), and the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve Management through the National Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP). International supporting partners are Reef Check, The Coral Alliance (CORAL) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). In addition, The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is a supporting partner of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Survey. All research findings and data will be made available to ReefBase, International Coral Reef Information Network (ICRIN), local universities, NGO’s and governmental organisations, as well as a variety of international universities and research bodies.

Preliminary meetings with the local NGO Amigos de Sian Ka’an (ASK), the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve Management and other local partners identified three main project areas that were deemed a priority:

1. The collection of coral reef baseline characterisation and monitoring data in the northern part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef:

A baseline characterisation and monitoring survey is being conducted to form a comprehensive picture of the ecological health of the northern region of reef, including substrate, multi-fish species, reef-building invertebrate and reef-associated invertebrate surveys.

The characterisation is a necessary step in the conservation process of this area, which is a high biodiversity, transitional zone between the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico biotic provinces. The area was last characterised over eleven years ago, and is a corridor within the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef for which recent information does not exist. The area faces various threats linked to the use of coastal zone resources on the mainland (improper sewage and other problems associated with tourism development) that cannot be prevented without solid, scientific basis. Through the reef characterisation, GVI will assist in detecting different sites that are important in terms of reef development and species diversity.

The central and southern portions of the state still have areas where tourism is low, although it will increase within the next few years with the growth of the Costa Maya Project. To detect the impact of such factors over the reef, it is necessary to implement monitoring surveys to evaluate the ecosystem condition through time and establish appropriate management strategies. GVI will assist ASK in a permanent monitoring program of the community structure and the condition of environmentally sensitive groups (algae, coral and fish).

2. Training local fishermen to survey multi-fish species spawning aggregations and develop sustainable fisheries policies:

Throughout the Caribbean Sea there is great pressure upon commercial fish species. In conjunction with our local partners, GVI will assist in a research programme designed to develop local sustainable fisheries policies for multi-fish species. GVI will aid in the dive training of local fishermen and assist in developing and conducting surveys of multi-fish species spawning aggregations.

3. Marine Education and Awareness Programmes:

The State of Quintana Roo, on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, is the stronghold of the Mayan population. Today, the Mayan population and culture still exist, and they are still a powerfully independent people, having never surrendered to the Mexican government. However, mass tourism has now reached their lands and, in the past 30 years, they have had to contend with issues that most Central and South Americans have had some 500 years adapt to.

GVI have been requested to conduct English Language teaching within the local schools and community, to give the local population better opportunity to develop from the influx of foreign revenue into the area as tourism develops. GVI will be conducting quantified education and awareness programs at local schools, in the local environment, at hotels, the expedition base and in the open environment. The expedition base will be developed as an Ecological Research and Environmental Education Centre. The base will be open to the general public and specific open days will be held to encourage further awareness of the marine environment, and its importance amongst both the local community and visitors to the area.

In addition, GVI are to assist a variety of other local NGO’s and governmental marine and terrestrial research programmes and community projects within the region, one of which is assisting in English Language teaching within the local schools and community.

Coral Reefs:

A coral reef is a complex, shallow water marine environment found in tropical and subtropical waters warmer than 18°C, which is the second most diverse ecosystem in the world. They are the largest biological structures on earth and can even be seen from space. Worldwide, coral reefs cover an estimated 284,300 square kilometres, (110,000 square miles), and geological records indicate that the ancestors of modern coral reef ecosystems were formed at least 350 million years ago. The coral reefs existing today began growing as early as 50 million years ago. Most established coral reefs now in existence are between 5,000 and 10,000 years old. Today, coral reefs cover less than 0.2% of the ocean floor but, as one of the most complex ecosystems on the planet, they are the seen as ‘rainforests of the sea’ and are an incredible biodiversity reservoir. They host an extraordinary variety of marine plants and animals, including one quarter of all marine fish species; over 6,000 different species of fish, 2,500 species of coral and thousands of other plants and animals have so far been identified, and this is thought to be only 10% of the estimated one to two million species present.

Ecology:

Out of all the species that inhabit the reefs, only a fraction produce the calcium carbonate structures that actually build them. The most important of the reef-building organisms are the coral polyps, tiny plant-like animals that build by secreting calcium carbonate skeletons. The animals live symbiotically with unicellular algae, called zooxanthellae. Photosynthesis by the algae supplies oxygen, altering the carbon dioxide concentrations in the coral tissues and increasing the animal’s ability to secrete its skeleton. Organisms, such as sponges, worms and bivalves, bore into the coral and, along with some species of grazing fish and invertebrates, break down the dead coral skeletons. The resulting dead organic matter settles into spaces in the reef and is eventually cemented by algae, bryozoans and minerals, thus stabilizing the reef structure. The calcium carbonate skeletons gradually accumulate and the reef grows.

Socioeconomic Context:

The coral reefs provide food for hundreds of millions of coastal peoples, many from developing countries with no alternative source of animal protein. The reefs and their associated white sand beaches attract millions of tourists and many of the world’s 20 million scuba divers. Through tourism, marine recreation and export fisheries, they provide the only source of income and employment for many coastal areas and, in some cases, entire nations. They also protect over 100,000 kms of coastlines from erosion, hence protecting the associated communities. In addition, they offer a new frontier for medicinal research; treatments for leukemia and cardiovascular diseases are based on compounds from coral reefs, and more than half of all new cancer drug research focuses on marine organisms. One recent example is AZT, a new treatment for people with HIV infections, which is based on chemicals extracted from a Caribbean reef sponge.

Threats to Coral Reefs:

Coral reefs are directly threatened worldwide by commercial over-fishing, which is causing further degradation as many subsistence fishing communities are forced to resort to poisoning the reef in the collection of aquaria fishes, dynamite fishing and coral harvesting. Climatic change is also having a severe detrimental effect upon coral reefs. Changing weather patterns are causing fluctuations in the surface dynamics of oceans, in turn causing local rises in sea temperatures and damaging corals. The stress (due to the higher temperatures) causes corals to lose the symbiotic algae that give them their colour which they depend upon to survive. If the temperatures are long term or repeated frequently, the coral will not take up more zooxanthellae and will die. A rise of just 2°C is proven to be enough to cause coral bleaching, and 4°C above maximum tolerable values for just a few days causes the deaths of 90-95% of one group, madrepores. The higher frequency of rains, hurricanes and typhoons in tropical regions leads to increased run-off and sedimentation, also lethal to corals and exaggerated by rainforest clearance and increased wave erosion. Additional pressure is applied by pollution from factories, mines, agriculture and tourist developments, dredging, oil dumping, coral mining, irresponsible boating, diving and other recreational activities. More than one-third of the world’s coral reefs have already been destroyed or permanently damaged, and nearly two-thirds are under threat.

Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve:

Located along the Caribbean coast, the biosphere is a 1,610,914 acre (652,192 hectare) assemblage of ecosystems, consisting of lowland tropical forest, wetlands (marshes, flooded savannahs and mangrove forests) and coastal and marine habitats (lagoons, bays, and coral reefs). The topography of Sian Ka’an gives rise to several peculiar features on the landscape, such as cenotes (natural sinkholes), petenes or hummocks, lagoons, keys and freshwater springs. The biosphere boundaries extend into the Caribbean Sea to encompass 68 miles of the northern part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. Offshore there are many shipwrecks, including pirate vessels, which make amazing dive sites and, inland, there have been at least 22 Mayan archaeological sites identified, many of which are untouched and several are accessible with the assistance of local Mayan guides.

Ecological Significance:

The site is a transition zone where both Mesoamerican and Antillean species are represented; an estimated 1,200 species of vascular plants can be found in Sian Ka’an’s nine vegetation types, including old growth, medium and seasonally inundated lowland forests, as well as grasslands. While the wetlands are home to the endangered marsh crocodile (Crocodylus Moreleti), river crocodile (Crocodylus Aacutus) and Caribbean manatee (Trichechus Manatus), the reserve’s sandy beaches are prime breeding areas for the hawksbill (Eretmochelys Imbricata), loggerhead (Caretta Caretta), leatherback (Dermochelys Coreacea) and green turtle (Cheloneaia Imydas). The wetlands, estuaries, and bays of Sian Ka’an are critical for the nutrient recycling and reproduction phases of marine resources, especially shrimp and lobster (Panulirus Argus). Mangroves and reef systems, like those found within the reserve, are among the most productive systems in the world. The inland forests provide habitat for a great variety of animal species, including threatened species such as jaguar (Panthera Onca), puma (Felis Concolor), tapir (Tapirus Mexicana), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus Virgianianus), howler monkey (Alouatta Pigra), spider monkey (Ateles Geoffroyi), anteater (Tamandua Mexicana), ocellated turkey (Agriocharis Ocelata), great curassow (Craz Rubra), toucan (Rapmhastos Sulfuratos), king vulture (Sarcoramphus Papa) and more than 330 species of birds, including large numbers of wintering neotropical songbirds. This tropical forest represents one of the last secure sites for these endangered species.

Socioeconomic Context:

Approximately 1,000 people live in the reserve in small family ranches along the coast and in the reserve’s two fishing settlements of Punta Allen and Punta Herrero. At present, the main economic activities are the fishing of lobster and scale fish and, at a very small scale, agriculture and ranching. Because Sian Ka’an is located south of Cancún, the area’s most popular tourist destination, the development of tourism activities such as sport fishing and ecotourism on the coast, especially in the northern part of the reserve, is increasing. In addition to Sian Ka’an’s residents, approximately 1,500 people from six ejidos in the contiguous area use the reserve’s natural resources. Resource use in the area includes wood and palm leaf extraction for domestic purposes, chicle extraction, hunting for self-sustenance and illegally for commercial purposes, agriculture and handicraft production.

Threats to Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve:

In just 30 years, Cancun has grown from a sleepy fishing village to the largest resort destination in Mexico. Tourism development is spreading south down the Quintana Roo coast to communities such as Playa de Carmen, which is currently experiencing an annual growth rate of over 25%. This rapid development presents several threats to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve and the surrounding areas. Primary activities that are compromising the ecological integrity of these sites include: unregulated tourism development, over-fishing, forest fires and uncontrolled resource extraction. Continued development along the coast will also give rise to increasing water pollution and hydrological alteration, which may severely compromise estuary, mangrove and reef communities.

Climate change:

GVI Mexico’s monitoring programme aims to provide a long term record of coral and fish species’ abundance and distribution over time, which can be compared to baseline data. Monitoring also focuses on the general health of the reef and related coastal ecosystems. Climate change is thought to affect coral reefs through an increase on sea surface temperatures, which in turn increases bleaching and disease levels in coral species. Climate change may also be increasing hurricane strength and frequency, increasing physical damage in coral reef species and destroying associated ecosystems like mangroves. GVI monitors bleaching and disease rates, as well as physical parameters such as water temperature and salinity. These parameters will help identify trends, such as the increased bleaching associated with a rise in sea surface temperature. On top of raw data collection, GVI aims to raise environmental awareness amongst the local community in Mexico through interactions such as teaching, and also across the world by educating its expedition members.