Status of Curaçao’s Reefs

The island of Curaçao is almost entirely surrounded by narrow fringing reef that covers an estimated area of 7.85 km2 (Vermeij, 2012).  These reefs, considered some of the healthiest and most diverse in the Wider Caribbean Region, have long supported the island’s fishing industry and in recent decades have been the foundation for Curaçao’s lucrative marine tourism industry. A number of studies have however highlighted the significant shift that the island’s coral reef communities have gone through over the past four decades, with a sharp decline in both coral cover and fish biomass.

This news item was published in BioNews 4-2017

BioNews is produced by the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance and funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.