LEATHERBACK TURTLES ARE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
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The Leatherback turtles have a wide distribution, yet their numbers have been increasingly lower during the last century due to egg collection and bycatch in fisheries. During hunting season, hunters scour the beaches at night searching for nesting females. They take the female's eggs, often times killing her as well. Some countries use these turtles eggs as an aphrodisiac. Turtle meat is also customarily consumed in some religious ceremonies. Along with egg collection, fishery bycatch is a major cause in the decline of Leatherback turtles. During commercial fishing for other species, Leatherback turtles and other marine creatures can get entangled in gillnets or traps. Light sticks are placed on the baited lines which attracts the turtles. They get caught up in the lines and are unable to swim to the surface to breathe, increasing the mortality rates. The number of nesting Leatherback females in 1980 was 115,000. In 2016, this number has dropped to 35,000. The population of Leatherback turtles has decreased about 90% in the last couple of decades due to these harmful practices.
CLIMATE CHANGE
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Climate change seriously impacts the well being of the Mesoamerican Reef, as the rising temperatures are causing more coral bleaching. Coral bleaching occurs when corals are stressed by sudden changes in conditions. The warmer water causes the corals to expel algae living in their tissue. Algae gives the coral reef its colors, so this leaves the coral completely white. This does not leave the corals dead, however, if the stress continues, they would be more likely to face mortality. Species depend on the reefs for shelter and resources while communities depend on them for food, business and shoreline protection. Coral bleaching as a result of climate change not only destroys the beauty of the reef, but it threatens all organisms that depend on it.
HUMAN INTERACTIONS
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Humans are negatively impacting the water around the Mesoamerican Reef. Tourism, development and commercial agriculture leads to increased water pollution. Agricultural runoff, sewage and pesticides, and sediment runoff drains into the reef area. This results in decreased biodiversity and destroyed habitats. However, WWF, or the World Wide Fund for Nature, is working on addressing these issues and reducing the negative impacts that hurt the reefs. WWF has partnered with the government of Belize to make sure development projects lessen the effects on mangroves, fisheries and the reefs. As for reducing runoff, WWF has been successful in getting producers to limit use of pesticides and chemicals. In Honduras, the use of fertilizers in palm oil plantations has been replaced with compost. WWF is focused on minimizing the use of water and chemicals to reduce soil erosion and runoff, as well as limit waste water that will eventually find its way into the marine ecosystems.