The Roatan stopover is essential to the global understanding of the harmful consequences of climate change on biodiversity. The main threats, to which the oceans’ and the land’s animal and plant life are exposed, are largely linked to the disappearance of habitats, accidental fishing, marine and land pollution, and intensive agriculture. Their preservation require immediate and innovative action, in order not only to limit or stop the degradation of natural resources and the species which depend upon them, but also to optimize their resistance and resilience.

The Roatan stopover will look into one of the most threatened among ecosystems: coral reefs. Coral reefs here have been over-exploited to a considerable extent, but initiatives are increasingly led to set up a sustainable management of the resource and to restore this highly threatened ecosystem: protected marine reserves, repopulation of the coral barrier, artificial coral. All these initiatives contribute to preserving the coral reef and also, and above all, to allowing populations who depend on this barrier to secure a sustainable way of living.

To know more about it, here are some links on the persons and the organisations met during this stopover:

http://www.roatanmarinepark.com
http:/www.coral.org
http:/www.anthonyskey.com/en/rims
http://www.marcoralwatch.net
http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/mesoamericanreef
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/climohot.html
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/CB_indices/coral_bleaching_indices.html
http://www.coral.noaa.gov/coral_disease/
http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/
http://www.reefbase.org/
http://www.reefresilience.org/
http://www.nova.edu/ncri/11icrs/plenaries.html
http://www.tncmar.net/
http://www.agrra.org/
http://www.frrp.org/
http://www.utilaecology.org
http://www.yale.edu/roatan