Belize boasts the second-largest
coral reef in the world, providing the small Central American nation with food, beauty, and tourist dollars (roughly
$100 million annually!). However, recent changes in the ecosystem have put the reef at risk. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch
roared through the area and destroyed substantial chunks of reef, littering the seafloor with broken segments of coral
– or, what the locals call, “the standing dead.” Then, shortly thereafter, El Nino arrived, warming
the waters and causing wide-spread bleaching. Researchers
estimate that there has been a 48% decline in live coral cover off ’s coast. While fish are still attracted to dead corals, scientists worry what long-term effects this
might pose for the region. Check out this short video on National
Geographic to get the full story. It’s a sad, although interesting story.
Belize's "Standing Dead"
Add your comments
Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.
When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.
To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.
