The high temperatures recorded during this year have left negative effects on the coral reef system of Mahahual and Banco Chinchorro, according to the MARES Center association.
“The high temperatures recorded during this year have left negative effects on the coral reef system of Mahahual and Banco Chinchorro, according to the MARES Center association.”
“The high temperatures recorded during this year have left negative effects on the coral reef system of Mahahual and Banco Chinchorro, according to the MARES Center association. Researchers from this group have observed since last year intense episodes of bleaching not only in this region of Quintana Roo but also in the entire reef system of southern Mexico.
During the next few days, they will undertake the task of carrying out the second monitoring of the year to learn about the effects of bleaching and how this will affect the health of the corals.
According to Itzel Zamora Vilchis, director of Environmental Projects for the association, the survival rate of planted corals has dropped this year from above 70 percent to below 50 percent, compared to previous years.
MARES uses the coral restoration technique called fragmentation, to restore the reef population.
“The process consists of collecting pieces of coral that have broken off from their natural colonies and that have a low probability of survival. These fragments of opportunity are then cared for in the association’s coral nurseries. By selecting fragments from various colonies, we improve genetic diversity and natural resistance to local stressors and the impacts of climate change,” the organization said.
After spending their time in the nurseries, the fragments are transplanted to strategically selected sites, taking into consideration their natural biological composition, state of conservation, and isolation from human activity. To carry out these actions, MARES Center, in collaboration with Oceanus A. C., involves local communities, entrepreneurs, and administrators in its restoration network.
The Group continues to make efforts to complete its goal of transplanting 5 thousand fragments of Acropora in five years, in an area of 10 thousand square meters of reef. In the first half of the year, through the Mahahual Coral Reef Restoration Project, the members of the organization completed a total of 1,300 transplants.
TYT Newsroom
