Bonaire reefs not as pristine as widely believed

From an article in Explorations, the e-magazine of UC San Diego'sScripps Institution of Oceanography:

Bonaire's coral reefs widely considered to be in pristine condition are a popular tourist destination and regarded as one of the jewels of the Caribbean. Preliminary findings from a new science survey have indicated, however, that all is not as perfect as widely believed. . . .

The expedition was part of a series of events that kicked off the International Year of the Reef 2008, a global campaign intended to raise awareness of the value and importance of coral reefs, which are threatened in several locations around the world.

"Our findings are interesting, and also distinctly concerning," said [project co-leader James] Leichter. "Despite the perception and promotion of Bonaire as a site of 'pristine' reefs within the Caribbean, our preliminary analysis shows extensive areas of coral disease and mortality. The pace of development on Bonaire has increased dramatically in the past five to 10 years and issues of runoff from land and non-point sources of pollution appear to be quite critical."

Yet despite his concern, Leichter witnessed signs of resiliency. Populations of important grazing fishes are large and the researchers documented numerous small colonies of Acropora palmate, Acropora cervicornis, and Acropora prolifera, coral species key to building back a healthy reef framework.