RESUMENUna de las actividades que más se desarrolla en el Parque Nacional Jardines de la Reina (PNJR), ubicado al sur de las provincias de Sancti Spíritus, Ciego de Ávila y Camagüey, es el buceo autónomo. Sobre esta base se realizó un estudio acerca de la incidencia de dicha actividad sobre los arrecifes de esta región, específicamente, sobre los corales pétreos. Para ello se estudiaron 28 sitios, en 10 días, lo que permitió comparar zonas de alta, media, baja y sin intensidad de buceo en cuanto al porcentaje de cobertura viva de los corales, mediante 220 transectos lineales y con la observación de 51 buceadores. En los sitios con alta intensidad de buceo se identificaron 36 especies de corales, siendo las más abundantes: S. siderea, A. agaricites, P. astreoides, M. alcicornis y O. faveolata. De los 51 buceadores observados, 48 cometieron infracciones: contactos sobre los organismos, resuspensión de sedimentos, y en menor medida, daños mecánicos (rompimiento). Las gorgonias fueron los organismos más contactados, seguidas por los corales. La cantidad de toques por buceador en el PNJR fue de 5.8 toques/min. La capacidad de carga efectiva en el PNJR varió entre 15 y 35 buceadores/sitio/día. Se infiere que los sitios de buceo del PNJR, a pesar de la incidencia del buceo autónomo sobre ellos, no muestran deterioro. No obstante, se recomienda monitorear los organismos afectados para conocer con precisión su evolución ante las incidencias, así como cumplir con el número de buceadores/sitio/día que se sugiere en este estudio.Palabras claves: Buceo autónomo, corales pétreos, Parque Nacional Jardines de la Reina, capacidad de carga, incidencias del buceo. ABSTRACTScuba diving is one of the main activities in the Jardines de la Reina National Park (PNJR), located off the southern coast of Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila and Camagüey provinces. This study was conducted to determine the effect of this activity on the coral reefs of the area, particularly on stony corals. A total of 28 sites were surveyed during a ten-day period. Areas with high, medium, and low diving intensity, as well as no diving were compared taking into account the percentage of stony coral cover. A total of 220 line transects were used and 51 divers were observed. In sites with high diving intensity, 36 species of stony corals were identified, mostly including S. siderea, A. agaricites, P. astreoides, M. alcicornis and O. faveolata. Of the 51 divers observed, 48 violated diving regulations such as making contact with the corals, sediment resuspension, and, to a lesser degree, mechanical damage (breaking of organisms). Gorgonians, followed by stony corals, were the most contacted organisms. The amount of touches per diver was 5.8 touches/minute. Effective carrying capacity in PNJR ranged from 15 to 35 divers/site/day. It is inferred that, in spite of the impact of scuba diving recorded on the surveyed sites, the sites showed no signs of deterioration. However, monitoring affected organisms to follow up post-damage evolution and complying with the numb...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.