Total Economic Value of Bermuda’s Coral Reefs: A Summary

Development of environmental impact monitoring protocol for offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS): A biological perspective

“…If unsuccessful, however, ocean disposal may devalue ecosystem goods and services (EG&S) (e.g., Ehrlich and Ehrlich, 1981;Peterson et al, 2010;Van Beukering and Slootweg, 2010), given that certain species' functions, as well as community and ecosystem processes and function may negatively respond to potential CO 2 leakage. For instance, coral reef ecosystems impacted by reduced pH levels are highly likely to have reduced reef-associated EG&S, through the destruction of reef-associated tourism, fisheries, surplus values on real estate, recreational and cultural values, research and education values, and physical coastal protection (Sarkis et al, 2013). CO 2 leakage may reduce biodiversity and disrupt key ecological functions in deep-sea environments (e.g., regeneration of nutrients), thereby resulting in decreased EG&S, as seen during anthropogenic impacts stemming from oil and gas exploitation, cable laying, pipeline construction, underwater noise, waste dumping, and drill cuttings (Ramirez-Llodera et al, 2011;Armstrong et al, 2012).…”

Could marine animal conservation laws be responsible for the decline or extirpation of macroalgal populations in Bermuda over the past century?

“…Bermuda's loss of algal diversity would not be the first case where governmental marine protections did not effectively protect all species, or the environment in which they live, when trying to manage certain species or groups of organisms (Allison et al 1998, Heithaus et al 2014, Wilson 2016. It is therefore not surprising that Bermuda introduced the 1978 Fisheries (Protected Species) Order to keep the coral reefs healthy and free of the overgrowth of macroalgae, as these are environments that bring a high economic value to the tourist-based economy (Sarkis et al 2010). Fish exclusion studies in tropical intertidal rocky environments had clearly demonstrated that herbivorous fish were important in keeping the macroalgal communities at low densities (e.g.…”

“…At present, however, Bermuda's coral reefs are considered "high risk" by the World Resources Institute because of the high population density and potential for coastal pollution (Burke et al 2008). Nevertheless, although Bermuda's coral reefs are experiencing some environmental stress, they are considered one of the "healthiest" coral reef systems of the wider Caribbean region, in part due to conservation policies but also because of their northerly latitudinal advantage during global warming (Glasspool 2008, Sarkis et al 2010, Smith et al 2013.…”

Bermuda׳s balancing act: The economic dependence of cruise and air tourism on healthy coral reefs

“…A full description of the survey results on the tourists visiting Bermuda, their origin, and the description of their trip is given in Sarkis et al (2010). Equal numbers of male (52%) and female (48%) tourists were surveyed, of which 50% have a university or college degree and 28% have a master or other advanced degree.…”