A Conceptual Framework to Develop Long-Term Ecological Research and Management Objectives in the Wider Caribbean Region

Authors

Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Center for Ecology and Environmental Technology, University of LouisianaFollow
Robert R. Twilley, Wetland Biogeochemistry Institute, Louisiana State UniversityFollow
David Bone, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Instituto de Tecnologia y Ciencias Marinas
Dan Childers, Biology Department, Florida International UniversityFollow
Carlos Coronado-Molina, South Florida Water Management DistrictFollow
Ilka C. Feller, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Jorge Herrera-Silveira, Centro de Investigaciónes y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico NacionalFollow
Rudolf Jaffe, Southeast Environmental Research Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University,Follow
Ernesto Mancera, Instituto de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad del MagdalenaFollow
Eliska Rejmankova, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California
Joseph E. Salisbury, Ocean Processes Analysis Laboratory, University of New Hampshire
Ernesto Weil, Marine Sciences Department, University of Puerto Rico

Abstract

The Caribbean Sea and its watersheds show signs of environmental degradation. These fragile coastal ecosystems are susceptible to environmental impacts, in part because of their oligotrophic conditions and their critical support of economic development. Tourism is one of the major sources of income in the Caribbean, making the region one of the most ecotourism dependent in the world. Yet there are few explicit, long-term, comprehensive studies describing the structure and function of Caribbean ecosystems. We propose a conceptual framework using the environmental signature hypothesis of tropical coastal settings to develop a series of research questions for the reef–sea-grass–wetland seascape. We applied this approach across 13 sites throughout the region, including ecosystems in a variety of coastal settings with different vulnerabilities to environmental impacts. This approach follows the strategy developed by the Long Term Ecological Research program of the National Science Foundation to establish ecological research questions best studied over decades and large spatial areas.

Comments

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation through the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research program under Cooperative Agreements #DBI-0620409 and #DEB-9910514. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Recommended Citation

Rivera-Monroy, V.H., R.R. Twilley, D. Bone, D.L. Childers, C. Coronado-Molina, I.C. Feller, J.A. Herrerra-Silviera, R. Jaffe, J.E. Mancera, E. Rejmankova, J.E. Salisbury. 2004. A conceptual framework to develop long-term ecological research and management objectives in the wider Caribbean Region. BioScience 54(9): 843-856.