Andros barrier reef

• Andros Barrier Reef


  • Located in the Bahamas
  • 200km long
• Andros Barrier Reef


  • 164 species of fish and coral, including red snapper, reef shark and green turtle
  • Fish benefit from safety and shelter of the reef for breeding
  • Coral benefits from the nitrogen excreted by the fish and the material from the sea bed swept up by fish shoals

  
• Value of the Andros Barrier Reef to Humans and the Planet


  • Tourism: recreational activities such as fishing, snorkelling and scuba diving. This brings in over $150 million a year for the local economy
  • Fish: attract the tourists and caught and sold both within the Bahamas and abroad. Lobster and snapper earn locals millions of dollars
  • Breeding grounds: shelter for fish to breed, especially in mangrove forests
  • Coastal protection: reduces coastal erosion and flooding as the shallow water causes waves to break before they reach the land
  • Medicine: chemicals released by coral species may help cure various diseases including asthma
  • Research: this is one of the healthiest in the world and so scientists use it for research
• Threats to Biodiversity of the Andros Barrier Reef

  • Overfishing: commercial fishing is reducing the number of fish which threatens the balance of the food chain
  • Harvesting goods: sponges are being removed to sell
  • Tourism: tourists touch and stand on the coral, damaging it
  • Land-based pollution: when chemicals from agriculture or sewage enter the rivers, they are taken out to sea. This clouds the water and reduces the sunlight penetration, restricting photosynthesis for the phytoplankton
  • Marine-based pollution: oil and chemicals released by boats, especially near deep sea fishing areas. Anchors are also dropped on the coral
  • Climate change: higher temperatures cause corals stress, causing them to expel zooxanthellae. This changes their nutrient cycle causing them to bleach (turn white) and eventually die. This is expected to happen in 2040
• Sustainable Management of the Andros Barrier Reef

  • Andros West Side National Park: balance between traditions and conservation. Fishing is controlled and there is resources conservation. Ecotourism is encouraged. Developments are controlled
  • Crab replenishment reserve: best lad crab area in Andros. Set aside to rebuild the crab population and ensure it is sustainable
  • Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park: coral nursery established. Endangered species are monitored and conserved before being planted in the coral reef
• The Andros Barrier Reef is the third largest coral reef system in the world, stretching over 200 km.
• what allows phyto plankton to survive

  warm tropical climate and clear sea
• 3 sustainable management strategies

  Andros west side national park, crab replenishment reserve, Exuma cays land and sea park
• how does climate change effect the coral

  water temps rise and trigger a stress reaction in the zooxanthellae and bleach the coral which impacts the nutrient cycle and kills it
• Andros national park 


  established: 2022 protection for: 50 % of andros island Aims: to balance economic activities like sponge fishing with conservation and tourism
• exuma cays land and sea park 


  coral nursery where endangered species are conserved and re-introduced to the reef