Endangered coral restoration is planned for the “Alacranes” Coral Reef near Progreso, Yucatan.
The Coral Reef Ecosystem Ecology Laboratory (Leeac) that belongs to the Merida Unit of the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (CINVESTAV) of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), developed a coral restoration project along with a study of the “Arrecife Alacranes” National Park whitening, with support from Conservation Program Species at Risk (Procer) of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP).
Jesus Ernesto Arias Gonzalez, project coordinator, said in an interview with the National Council of Science & Technology (Conacyt), the coral restoration is focused on the study of two species: the Acropora Cervicornis and the Acropora Palmata, both in the threatened species Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Acropora Palmata (Photo: sefsc.noaa.gov)
“Acropora cervicornis is a species that had not been studied before in the country”, said Arias González. We work on this species because it is endangered and at one time was as important as the “Acropora Palmata” he concluded.
Acropora cervicornis (Photo: nmfs.noaa.gov)
Source: http://yucatan.com.mx/
