Abstract

Bonaire is a Caribbean island north of Venezuela whose economy is largely based on coral reef tourism. For 40 years, the Bonaire National Marine Park has been actively managing its coral reefs by focusing on factors that enhance recovery following disturbances. This is coupled with coral reef conservation outreach and regulations. Since the 1970’s there has been a slow and steady decline in coral reef cover throughout the Caribbean, but coral cover on Bonaire’s reefs, despite also declining, remains high in comparison. In 2017, long-term monitoring surveys (2003-2017) demonstrated evidence of coral reef resilience including increases in coral cover, juvenile corals, and abundance of parrotfish and a decrease in macroalgal cover. These positive trends may be a result of the combination of coral reef conservation and outreach measures that have been ongoing since the 1960’s with relatively recent local conservation actions including the installment of a wastewater treatment system, the establishment of no-take marine reserves and legislation protecting many important marine species. In late 2017 and in the two preceding years, Bonaire’s reefs suffered widespread coral bleaching. Unlike in 2010, when an estimated 10% of corals suffered from post-bleaching mortality, these recent bleaching episodes were transient resulting in low post-bleaching mortality. Coral bleaching has become a frequent and intense stressor to Bonaire’s coral reefs. With Bonaire’s economy based mainly on tourism, a sector that is growing in both numbers of visitors and resulting stressors to the reef, local conservation measures and sustainable practices are practical and prudent and may make a difference in the ability of some corals to survive repeated thermal stress. Bonaire is a Caribbean island north of Venezuela whose economy is largely based on coral reef tourism. For 40 years, the Bonaire National Marine Park has been actively managing its coral reefs by focusing on factors that enhance recovery following disturbances. This is coupled with coral reef conservation outreach and regulations. Since the 1970’s there has been a slow and steady decline in coral reef cover throughout the Caribbean, but coral cover on Bonaire’s reefs, despite also declining, remains high in comparison. In 2017, long-term monitoring surveys (2003-2017) demonstrated evidence of coral reef resilience including increases in coral cover, juvenile corals, and abundance of parrotfish and a decrease in macroalgal cover. These positive trends may be a result of the combination of coral reef conservation and outreach measures that have been ongoing since the 1960’s with relatively recent local conservation actions including the installment of a wastewater treatment system, the establishment of no-take marine reserves and legislation protecting many important marine species. In late 2017 and in the two preceding years, Bonaire’s reefs suffered widespread coral bleaching. Unlike in 2010, when an estimated 10% of corals suffered from post-bleaching mortality, these recent bleaching episodes were transient resulting in low post-bleaching mortality. Coral bleaching has become a frequent and intense stressor to Bonaire’s coral reefs. With Bonaire’s economy based mainly on tourism, a sector that is growing in both numbers of visitors and resulting stressors to the reef, local conservation measures and sustainable practices are practical and prudent and may make a difference in the ability of some corals to survive repeated thermal stress.

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