Research finds that in the Caribbean, overseas territories are more vulnerable to coral bleaching than independent countries
According to a new study, independent Caribbean island countries tend to be less vulnerable to coral bleaching than overseas territories: “We were surprised to find that independent islands have lower social-ecological vulnerability than territories…. Territories — such as the Dutch islands of Sint Maarten and Saba — tend to be …
Guyana to ban single-use plastics by 2021
The government of Guyana has confirmed its intention to implement a systematic ban on single-use plastics by 2021: Minister of State, Joseph Harmon … said “the work has already begun on sensitising our population to the fact that 2021 is the date we have identified for a ban on single-use …
Stony coral tissue loss disease spreads through the northern Caribbean
In recent weeks both St. Maarten and the US Virgin Islands have reported cases of stony coral tissue loss disease. The first incidence of stony coral tissue loss disease was recorded in 2014 in Miami-Dade county in Florida, and the disease has since spread south through the Florida Keys. Outbreaks …
Government of Antigua and Barbuda signs ocean energy MoU
Media release — Swedish marine energy developer Minesto has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda. Through a feasibility study, facilitated by the United Nations Office for Project Services, the parties will explore the possibilities of supplying the Eastern Caribbean with renewable ocean energy by Minesto’s technology. Minesto …
Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism launches study on sargassum impacts in the Caribbean
The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) has launched a study to document the impacts of the recurring influxes of sargassum seaweed in the Caribbean Sea: Over the past 7 years, massive Sargassum influxes have been having adverse effects on national and regional economies in the Caribbean, with substantial loss of …
Beneath the Waves and shark conservation in The Bahamas
Marine biologist Melissa Cristina Márquez writes about shark conservation organisation Beneath the Waves and the research they are doing in The Bahamas. According to Dr. Austin Gallagher, the organisation’s Chief Scientist, “There are few places worldwide that are as important to sharks than the Bahamas.” In 2018, Beneath the Waves launched one …
The disappearance of insects from Puerto Rico’s rainforests is a “hyper-alarming” sign
The UK Guardian reports on the collapse of insect populations in Puerto Rico’s Luquillo rainforest. Plummeting insect populations, in Puerto Rico and other parts of the world, have been attributed to climate change, and could have effects that ripple through entire ecosystems and food webs: “We knew that something was …