Reef health status of the southwestern Gulf of Mexico and Mexican Caribbean coral reefs
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Coral reefs are highly diverse ecosystems that provide various environmental services; however, they remain highly threatened. Assessing the health and trends of coral reefs is vital to establishing management strategies that contribute towards their conservation and recovery. One way of contributing to this objective is through monitoring indicators of reef health. In this context, the present study focused on evaluating the health of 4 reef systems located in 2 extensive regions of Mexico: the southwestern Gulf of Mexico (SGM) and the Mexican Caribbean (MC), using the Reef Health Index (RHI). Fieldwork was conducted on 11 reefs in October 2022 in the SGM and in May 2023 in the MC. Data were collected using 5 to 6, 50 × 2 m transects per site, followed by video transects of 50 × 0.50 m to record benthic organisms along the transect. An average RHI score of 3.50 (considered “good”) was obtained for SGM reefs, while for MC reefs, the average RHI score was 2.50 (considered “poor”). These results suggest that, according to the RHI criteria, SGM reefs present a better state of health than their MC counterparts. This difference was mainly influenced by the lower coral cover and higher macroalgae cover associated with the coral-algal phase shift, likely resulting from the rapid coastal development observed along the coasts the MC coast. Lastly, for the SGM, this evaluation represents the first reef health assessment for the Lobos-Tuxpan Reef System Flora and Fauna Protection Area using a rating system coupled to ecologic indicators such as the RHI.
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