The World Resource Institute today launched a CD that looks at data, maps and models of the effects that water shed have on the barrier reef. In particular the research shows the impacts that land degradation and pollutant run offs have on the reef. We spoke with Lauretta Burke of the World Resource Institute to find out more.
Lauretta Burke,
"It is beyond a map. It is a regional wide analysis of land based sources of threats to the Meso-American Reef so it is a watershed based analysis. So we look at activities on the land, conversion to agriculture, types of agriculture, conversion to roads and how this affects the erosion and settlement delivery and the runoff of pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorous that ultimately come into coastal waters and some way into the Meso-American reef. Much of the pollution, it is runoff from the land and some of the agriculture is in watersheds on Honduras and Guatemala and some in Belize. So we've looked at the sources of sediments and pollutants. Across the MAR, Meso-American Reef, the vast majority comes from Honduras and Guatemala. But in terms of the pollutants reaching the Belize portion of the reef, it is a mix. Some comes from Belize but a lot also comes from Honduras and Guatemala."
The information gathered will be used by the world wild life fund as a lobbying tool for countries to change to best-practices in an attempt to reduce the quantity of pollutants making its way into the reef system.
