Status Of Coral Reefs Research Articles

Identification of Coral Reef Conditions Using Hydro-Acoustic Technology in Giligenting Island, Sumenep Regency Indonesia

Coral reefs are one of the major ecosystems in the coastal region with high biodiversity and resource level. As productive ecosystems with high economic and ecological potential, the existence of coral reef ecosystems must be sustainably managed. One of the areas with high diversity of coral reefs is Giligenting Island located in Sumenep regency. This research was conducted by taking primary data in the form of tidal data, bathymetry data and Side Scan Sonar recordings. From the primary data and then processed until produces 3 dimensional model of seabed features that are then interpreted and analyzed to obtain information about healthy or damaged coral reefs, using underwater geo-tagged photos to validate. The 3-dimensional model has a maximum depth of 7.667 meters and 1.403 meters at minimum depth with an area of 100,536.097 m2. From the interpretation of Side Scan Sonar acoustic images it is found the area of sand feature is 30.79%; the area of mud feature equal to 29.94%; the healthy coral covering 35.75% of the survey area, consisting 10.09% of coral reef barrier reef feature, and 25.66% of small coral reef feature; and 3.52% of damaged coral reef feature from total 43,527.110 m2 Side Scan Sonar survey area.

Condition Correlation of Coral Reef and Abundance of Indicators Reef Fish in Mandrajaya Water Ciletuh Geopark West Java

The coral reef ecosystem has role as feeding and nursery ground for indicator reef fishes. Coral reef ecosystems in recent years has decline in function, globally the area of coral reefs has decline about 11%. This study aims to analyze the correlation between the condition of life coral reef with the abundance of indicators reef fish. This research was conducted in the waters of Mandrajaya (Ciletuh Geopark) with 5 stations. The method used in this research is Line Intercept Transect (LIT) and Underwater Visual Census (UVC). Data observed were the percentage of live coral and dead coral, as well as the number of indicator reef fish found. Results show that the percentage value of life coral is 51.17% dominated by the CF (Coral Foliose) category, this value shows that the condition of living coral cover is included in the good category. The obtained Mortality Index is worth 0.43 (low), this value is obtained from the ratio of life coral and dead coral. A total number of indicators reef fish is 31 individuals / 1750m² from four species, dominated by Chaetodon octofasciatus (12 individuals). Correlation between life coral cover and abundance of indicators reef fish was positive and had a sufficient relationship on both variables (r = 0.58) with a determinant coefficient of 48%.

An introduction to Bayesian networks as assessment and decision support tools for managing coral reef ecosystem services

Quantifying ecosystem goods and services can help evaluate policies aimed at protecting present and future generations from losing ecosystem benefits. Explicating and quantifying the relationships among risk factors, ecological structure and function, and delivery of ecosystem goods and services requires analytical methodologies that propagate uncertainties. The capabilities of Bayesian networks in generating predictions and accounting for uncertainty are explored with a focus on coral reef ecosystem service assessments. The qualitative aspects of Bayesian networks can be applied to conceptual frameworks developed for coral reef ecosystem service assessments. This is demonstrated using qualitative graphs that describe the relationships between coral reef condition endpoints and benefits from ecosystem services including property protection, recreational opportunities, fish for fisheries, and biochemical metabolites for commercial products developed from reef organisms. Bayesian networks help weigh uncertainties between management decision impacts on stressors and the corresponding delivery of ecosystem services. Quantitative capabilities for inferences are examined in hypothetical scenarios evaluating how decisions affect coral reef ecosystem services and economic benefits and resilience to episodic stress. The described methods facilitate visualizing the potential impacts on ecosystem services from alternative scenarios.

Abundance of Herbivorous Fish at Fish Apartment in Tangah Island Coastal Waters of Pariaman City, West Sumatera

Herbivorous fish have an influence on habitat quality and a major factor in determining coral reef community. This herbivorous fish used as indicator of monitoring refers to reef resilience since of its ability to retain and restore the coral reef condition after disturbance. The presence of herbivores is important in influencing succession of algae, it can reduce and control algae on coral reefs. It’s causes in the availability of space or substrate for corals to recruit. So the research conducted that aims to know the abundance of herbivorous fish in fish apartment as one indicator of monitoring based on endurance. This study had conducted after six months of fish apartment placed in the coastal waters of Tangah Island, Pariaman City, West Sumatra. Then, the observation had done every month for six months in July 2015 - January 2016 at the location of the fish apartment. Observation abundance of herbivorous fish had done by visual census method at fish apartment location. From the results of observations for six months found 10 species of herbivorous fish with total as many as 289 individuals. Zebrasoma scopas is a species with the most individuals than 97 individu. However, to see the effect of herbivorous fish on coral recruitment in fish apartment needs to do further research.
 Keywords: abundance, herbivorous fish, fish apartment

How people value different ecosystems within the Great Barrier Reef

Natural ecosystems hold great place within the hearts and lives of people, particularly those within which people live and work. However, whether people equally value natural ecosystems that they regularly frequent is effectively unknown. Such knowledge would greatly assist natural resource managers to better understand what they are protecting, why and for whom. In this paper we look at the different values that people hold for different ecosystems within the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). We test the relationship between eight different cultural values (using ecosystem services framing), and the use of seven different ecosystems (beaches, creeks and estuaries, islands and cays, inshore reefs, mid-shelf and outer reefs, open water, and shipwrecks) from face-to-face surveys of 1934 residents living within the GBR. We also look at whether the relationships that people have with each ecosystem inspires them to; (i) do more to help protect the GBR, (ii) learn more about the GBR, and (iii) feel personally affected if the health of the GBR declines. Results suggest that there are common reasons why all ecosystems are valued. All seven ecosystems were valued because they provide identity, quality of life and well-being, and inspired people to do more to help protect the GBR. Many were valued for their desirable and active way of life, learning about the environment through scientific discoveries, and learning about the condition of the GBR. However, some ecosystems were valued for special reasons. People that used beaches tended to have more pride in the World Heritage Area status of the GBR and appreciated the aesthetics of the GBR. People that used the mid-shelf and open-water areas were more likely to value biodiversity and aesthetics qualities. People that used inshore reefs were more likely to value economic benefits from the GBR. All residents said that they would be personally affected if the health of the GBR declined, except for those that used beaches, creeks and estuaries. Levels of concern for each of the ecosystems within the GBR varied, where people were more concerned about inshore areas than they were about coral reef condition. Specifically, people were most concerned about the level of rubbish on the beaches in their region and least about mangroves. These results suggest that, even though the GBR is valued in its entirety for many reasons, the GBR is not perceived as an entire ecosystem, but that people have different relationships within it. We discuss how environmental sustainability might be optimised through understanding and incentivising the multi-functionality of landscapes.

Leveraging Automated Image Analysis Tools to Transform Our Capacity to Assess Status and Trends of Coral Reefs

Digital photography is widely used by coral reef monitoring programs to assess benthic status and trends. In addition to creating a permanent archive, photographic surveys can be rapidly conducted, which is important in environments where bottom-time is frequently limiting. However, substantial effort is required to manually analyze benthic images; which is expensive and leads to lags before data are available. Using previously analyzed imagery from NOAA’s Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program, we assessed the capacity of a trained and widely used machine-learning image analysis tool – CoralNet (coralnet.ucsd.edu) - to generate fully-automated benthic cover estimates for the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) and American Samoa. CoralNet was able to generate estimates of site-level coral cover for both regions that were highly comparable to those generated by human analysts (Pearson’s r > 0.97, and with bias of 1% or less). CoralNet was generally effective at estimating cover of common coral genera (Pearson’s r > 0.92 and with bias of 2% or less in 6 of 7 cases), but performance was mixed for other groups including algal categories, although generally better for American Samoa than MHI. CoralNet performance was improved by simplifying the classification scheme from genus to functional group and by training within habitat types, i.e., separately for coral-rich, pavement, boulder, or ‘other’ habitats. The close match between human-generated and CoralNet-generated estimates of coral cover pooled to the scale of island and year demonstrates that CoralNet is capable of generating data suitable for assessing spatial and temporal patterns. The imagery we used was gathered from sites randomly located in <30 m hard-bottom at multiple islands and habitat-types per region, suggesting our results are likely to be widely applicable. As image acquisition is relatively straightforward, the capacity of fully-automated image analysis tools to minimize the need for resource intensive human analysts opens possibilities for enormous increases in the quantity and consistency of coral reef benthic data that could become available to researchers and managers.

Applying a ridge-to-reef framework to support watershed, water quality, and community-based fisheries management in American Samoa

Water quality and fisheries exploitation are localized, chronic stressors that impact coral reef condition and resilience. Yet, quantifying the relative contribution of individual stressors and evaluating the degree of human impact to any particular reef are difficult due to the inherent variation in biological assemblages that exists across and within island scales. We developed a framework to first account for island-scale variation in biological assemblages, and then evaluate the condition of 26 reefs adjacent to watersheds in Tutuila, American Samoa. Water quality data collected over 1 year were first linked with watershed characteristics such as land use and human population. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations were best predicted by total human population and disturbed land for watersheds with over 200 humans km−2, providing a predictive threshold for DIN enrichment attributed to human populations. Coral reef assemblages were next partitioned into three distinct reeftypes to account for inherent variation in biological assemblages and isolate upon local stressors. Regression models suggested that watershed characteristics linked with DIN and fishing access best predicted ecological condition scores, but their influences differed. Relationships were weakest between coral assemblages and watershed-based proxies of DIN, and strongest between fish assemblages and distances to boat harbors and wave energy (i.e., accessibility). While we did not explicitly address the potential recursivity between fish and coral assemblages, there was a weak overall correlation between these ecological condition scores. Instead, the more complex, recursive nature between reef fish and habitats was discussed with respect to bottom-up and top-down processes, and several ongoing studies that can better help address this topic into the future were identified. The framework used here showed the spatial variation of stressor influence, and the specific assemblage attributes influenced by natural and anthropogenic drivers which aims to guide a local ridge-to-reef management strategy.

High-resolution habitat and bathymetry maps for 65,000\xa0sq. km of Earth\u2019s remotest coral reefs

With compelling evidence that half the world’s coral reefs have been lost over the last four decades, there is urgent motivation to understand where reefs are located and their health. Without such basic baseline information, it is challenging to mount a response to the reef crisis on the global scale at which it is occurring. To combat this lack of baseline data, the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation embarked on a 10-yr survey of a broad selection of Earth’s remotest reef sites—the Global Reef Expedition. This paper focuses on one output of this expedition, which is meter-resolution seafloor habitat and bathymetry maps developed from DigitalGlobe satellite imagery and calibrated by field observations. Distributed on an equatorial transect across 11 countries, these maps cover 65,000 sq. km of shallow-water reef-dominated habitat. The study represents an order of magnitude greater area than has been mapped previously at high resolution. We present a workflow demonstrating that DigitalGlobe imagery can be processed to useful products for reef conservation at regional to global scale. We further emphasize that the performance of our mapping workflow does not deteriorate with increasing size of the site mapped. Whereas our workflow can produce regional-scale benthic habitat maps for the morphologically diverse reefs of the Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as the more depauperate reefs of the Atlantic, accuracies are substantially higher for the former than the latter. It is our hope that the map products delivered to the community by the Living Oceans Foundation will be utilized for conservation and act to catalyze new initiatives to chart the status of coral reefs globally.

Status and recent trends in coral reefs of the Philippines

Concern about the condition of Philippine coral reefs has prompted a recent reassessment of the status of the nation's reefs, the results of which are reported here. This paper presents the largest updated dataset on Philippine coral cover and generic diversity. The dataset was obtained from equally-sized sampling stations on fore-reef slopes of fringing reefs in six biogeographic regions using identical methods. A total of 206 stations were surveyed from 2014 to 2017, and another 101 stations were monitored from 2015 to 2018.The weighted average hard coral cover (HCC) was 22.8% (±1.2 SE) and coral generic diversity averaged 14.5 (±0.5 SE). Both were highest in the fully-formed reefs of the Sulu Sea biogeographic region and lowest in the eastern Philippines. Comparisons of findings with those of previous assessments show the continued decline in coral cover over a larger time scale, with the loss of about a third of the reef corals over the last decade. However, no consistent changes were evident in the 101 monitoring stations from 2015 to 2018 despite the global coral bleaching event. An expanded monitoring program, not just one-off assessments, is recommended to improve reef management in the Philippines.

The extent of coral bleaching, disease and mortality for data-deficient reefs in Eleuthera, The Bahamas after the 2014–2017 global bleaching event

Given the rapid change in coral reef assemblages globally, quantification of coral bleaching events, disease prevalence and mortality is critical. Here we discuss observations on the status of coral reefs in Southern Eleuthera, The Bahamas following the 2014–2017 global bleaching event. A total of 37 unique hard coral species were observed from 1232 surveyed corals across five sites between 2016 and 2017. Overall (± SE), live coral cover was 28.2 ± 11.0% with 11.0 ± 1.6% of these corals showing signs of bleaching, and 2.0 ± 0.6% showing signs of disease. Results suggest levels of coral bleaching observed in Eleuthera are currently lower than some regions globally following the bleaching event. There was no significant difference among sites for new and old mortality types, suggesting regional and/or global scale drivers. More local scale studies, especially for data-deficient regions are needed for the development of regional and local baselines to support future management of local reefs and their fisheries.

Kondisi Barang di Pulau Baranglompo dan Bone Batang Berdasarkan Tabel Kesehatan Karang

The structure of wing scales in four species of papilionid butterflies were The research about the condition of coral reefs in Baranglompo and Bone Batang island was conducted in January to April 2016 based on “Coralwatch” table. The aim of this study was to determine health condition of coral reefs in Baranglompo and Bone Batang island. The data was obtained in the south, west, and north at a depth of 3 meters and 10 meter using Line Intercept Transect (LIT) method along 100 meters of both islands. The health condition of coral reefs was obtained from four coral colony types specifically Branching, Massive, Tabulate, and Soft coral using Coralwatch method. The results of this study showed that the health condition of coral reefs in Baranglompo and Bone Batang islands was still relatively equal. At a depth of 3 meters, the most healthy coral colony was dominated by branching corals while at a depth of 10 meters dominated by massive corals. However, the average value of coral colors indicating coral condition showed that the health condition of coral reefs in Baranglompo was higher than that in Bone Batang island. High anthropogenic impacts were observed by the trash commonly found in Baranglompo island, many fish bombings also found in Bone Batang island. This study recommend that the health condition of coral reefs in Baranglompo island was greater than that in Bone Batang island.

A rapid in situ fluorescence census for coral reef monitoring

Since the discovery of Green fluorescent protein (GFP) from jellyfish, many GFP-like marine fluorescent proteins have been unveiled and implicated in myriad of biomedical and toxicological research applications. However, fluorescence trait has not been implemented in the field applications so far. In this study, using a UV-blue light, we induced fluorescence of corals to identify the diseased and damaged corals as well as newly recruiting and encrusting corals buried in sedimentation and algal covers. Healthy corals have displayed complete body fluorescence, whereas the dead, damaged and diseased corals are failed to display complete fluorescence. The development of pink line disease on Porites sp. was obvious under UV illumination than in visible light, revealing the hidden disease level propagation in Porites. Coral recruitment is well appreciated in both the study locations Burmanallah and Hare Island. Results of this study infer that this method is a highly reliable and rapid in field to study recruitment, disease propagation and health status of coral reefs.

Carrying Capacity of Diving Tourism in Dampier Strait Marine Conservation Area – District of Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat has biodiversity in marine waters so it qualifies as a conservation area as well as a tourism destination. The number of tourist visits to this area has increased significantly, from 998 people in 2007 to 29,653 people in 2016. Increasing number of tourists have become a threat if the behavior of tourist are not concerned on the environment sustainability and damage the attractions for diving. Assessment of the carrying capacity of the area becomes an important factor to know for sure the maximum number of visitors that can be accommodated by the region at any given time without causing disturbance to the environment and human. The study was conducted from September 2015 to August 2016. Data collection of dive sites was conducted by measuring the extent of coral reefs, coral slope, coral reef condition, and water depth. Calculation of carrying capacity used is Physical Carrying Capacity (PCC) and Real Carrying Capacity (RCC). There are 15 main dive sites frequented by divers. The number of people allowed to dive based on physical carrying capacity ranges from 20 to 500 diver/day, for Actual carrying capacity (RCC) of 14 - 335 diver/day. Locations that have the lowest carrying capacity on The Passage site and highest on the Melissa Garden site. The process of integrating dive attractions with other tours and monitoring of travel activities is a key factor in the sustainability of Raja Ampat regency tourism.

Status of coral reefs conservation using coral morphological classification in Wakatobi National Park

Coral reef ecosystems are one of the most productive natural resources of biodiversity in coastal areas. Estimates of the value of coral reef conservation can be used to select which areas are most suitable for protection within zones or zones of marine protection. This study aims to look at the protection status of coral reefs based on the coral morphology classification approach in Wakatobi National Park (WNP). Implementation of research in September 2016 to November 2017 in WNP, Southeast Sulawesi. This research method is built with a conservation classification based on three angles diagrams namely r (ruderals), K (Competitors), and S (Stress-Tolerators). The results of diagram analysis for 29 observation stations showed that the location was categorized into 11 locations for ruderal, 6 locations for competitors and 12 locations for mixed categories. The strategy for managing coral reefs in conservation areas can be done by looking at locations that are prioritized for protection, therefore morphology-based classification approaches can be applied in assessing the health conditions of coral reefs. For policy makers it is very helpful in determining the direction of area management, especially in the protection of coral reefs.

Coral Reefs Condition Assessment in East Waters of Panaitan Island, Ujung Kulon National Park

Coral reefs ecosystem is a complex and special coastal resources in a tropical area. the characteristics of this ecosystem are high in productivity and diversity. Panaitan island is one of the island located in Ujung Kulon National Park area with various coral reefs. This area has multi attractive potencies which can be exploited by everyone depending on personal or group interests. Coral cover data were collected using Line Intercept Transect method and mortality analysis using mortality index method. Data collection was carried out in 4 different stations with 2 different depths. The results showed that at the depth of 5 m the highest damaged area is on 1st station, with 50% damaged coral reefs. Mortality rate at the depth of 5m and 10m found at 1st station with mortality index 0.4 point and 0.44 point respectively. It is estimated that station 1 is a good area compared to the previous study that shows condition so that many exploitation by destructive.

Analisis Potensi Wisata Bahari Berbasis Sistem Informasi Geografis di Pantai Langala Provinsi Gorontalo

The research aimed to investigate the maritime tourism potential of Langala Beach. The research was conducted in Dulupi Sub-District, Boalemo Regency, Gorontalo Province. The geographical location of the research area is 00 0 30 04 LU 122 0 29' 11 BT. Data is collected from primary sources and secondary sources. The research uses the triangulation data collection technique, which combines various techniques and data sources. The methods used in this study are survey methods, conformity analysis, in-depth interviews, and regional mapping. The data analysis technique focuses on the percentage assessment of tourism suitability using a marine tourism suitability index analysis for snorkeling and diving, a tourist suitability index analysis for swimming and canoeing, data analysis using the percentage of coral cover per lifeform category for the status of coral reefs. The results of the Langala Beach tourism research for marine tourism (snorkeling and diving) category included in the appropriate category (S2) with a percentage of 80.45% suitability, Langala Beach area for marine tourism category (swimming and canoeing) included in the very appropriate category (S1) with a percentage of suitability level of 93.57%. The condition of coral reefs in the research location, namely station 1, is in the good category with a value of 37.12%, Station 2 and 3 in the medium category with a value of 52.32% and 36.34%.

Coral Reef Conditions of Hogow and Dakokayu Islands Southeast Minahasa Regency

This research objective was to determine the condition of Coral Reef ecosystems in Dakokayu and Hogow Islands, Southeast Minahasa Regency. The method that has been used in this studies that is Line Intercept Transect (LIT) by diving activities at 5 meter and 10 meters depth with 50 meters transect length. Each biota passed by the line transect recorded according based on shape of growth.Coral Reefs conditon in Hogow Island in 5 meters and 10 meters depth were categorized as a “Good” where the percentage of live coral cover in 5 meters depth is 70.12% and in 10 meters depth is 55.78%. The condition of Coral Reefs on Dokokayu Island at a depth of 5 meters is categorized “Good” with the percentage of live coral cover is 56.32% while in the 10 meters depth it is categorized as “Medium” with the percentage of live coral cover is 48.10%. Water quality parameters such as temperature, salinity, brightness, pH, and dissolved oxygen (DO) are within the range of tolerance for Coral Reefs to survive.Keywords: Condition, Coral Reef, Hogow, DokokayuABSTRAKTujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui kondisi ekosistem terumbu karang di Pulau Dakokayu dan Pulau Hogow, Kabupaten Minahasa Tenggara. Metode yang telah digunakan dalam penelitian ini yaitu Line Intercept Transek (LIT) dengan melakukan penyelaman pada kedalaman 5 dan 10 meter dengan panjang transek 50 meter. Setiap biota yang dilewati transek akan dicatat menurut bentuk pertumbuhannya. Secara umum, kondisi terumbu karang di Pulau Hogow pada kedalaman 5 meter dan 10 meter, dikategorikan Baik dimana persentasi tutupan karang hidup pada kedalaman 5 meter sebesar 70,12% dan pada kedalaman 10 meter sebesar 55,78%. Kondisi terumbu karang di Pulau Dokokayu pada kedalaman 5 meter dikategorikan Baik dengan persentase tutupan karang hidup 56,32% sedangkan di kedalaman 10 meter dikategorikan Sedang dengan persentase tutupan karang hidup 48,10 %. Parameter kualitas perairan seperti suhu, salinitas, kecerahan, pH, dan oksigen terlarut (DO) berada dalam kisaran toleransi bagi terumbu karang untuk dapat bertahan hidup.Kata Kunci : Kondisi, Terumbu Karang, Hogow, Dokokayu

Ecological condition of coral reef assemblages in the Cuban Archipelago

ABSTRACTThe condition of coral reefs in the Cuban Archipelago is poorly known. We aimed to analyse coral assemblages across 199 reef sites belonging to 12 localities. Crest and fore reefs were assessed using six metrics: species richness, density, coral cover, mortality, coral size and reef complexity. The condition of reefs varied across the archipelago from healthy to depleted reefs. The localities with best scores were Cienfuegos, Bahía de Cochinos and Cazones. These reefs have values of living coral cover (>20%) and complexity (>50 cm) similar to the best preserved Caribbean reefs. However, the majority of crest biotopes suffered important deterioration with old mortality of Acropora palmata populations and moderate coral cover (15%); although crest reefs still maintained their structural complexity. Despite moderate levels of coral cover in fore reefs (18%), their condition was alarming because 25% of the sites had cover below the recovery threshold of 10%, accumulated mortality and structural flattening. Compared with the 1980s, the species richness was roughly the same (42) for crest and fore reefs, although dominance has changed to widespread tolerant species. Coral reef assemblages varied at local and regional scales in similar magnitude, suggesting the combined effects of natural and anthropogenic drivers.

Assessing the Condition of Coral Reefs and the Indicator Fish (Family: Chaetodontidae) in Coastal Waters of Jayapura City, Papua Province, Indonesia

Abstract The aim of this study was to find out the condition of coral reef coverage and the presence of Chaetodontidae fish in coastal waters of Jayapura City, Indonesia. The observation of coral reef coverage was performed using point intercept transect (PIT) method; meanwhile the observation of the presence of Chaetodontidae fish used visual census method. The result of this study described that coral reef condition in the study site was in severely damage (live coral 0%) in the DOK II site at 6 m depth, moderately damage (live coral 32.00% ± 2.13% to 42.00% ± 13.18%) in Kayu Pulo Island and the DOK II at 3 m depth, and good condition (live coral 56.00% ± 7.48% to 60.00% ± 5.55%) in the Tanjung Kayu Batu. There were 9 Chaetodontidae fish species from Chaetodon genus, Forcipiger genus, and Heniochus genus. The number of Chaetodontidae fish was 95, of which Heniochus acuminatus was the most dominant, as many as 46 individuals.

A septic waste index model to measure the impact of septic tanks on coastal water quality and coral reef communities in Rincon, Puerto Rico

The impact of fecal contamination of coastal waters and coral reefs is a major cause of concern in marine reserves in Puerto Rico. The measurement of the association between septic tank frequency in watersheds of creeks draining into these reserves and coastal water quality and coral reef condition is of importance in configuring pollution control policy. Fecal coliforms and enterococci assays were used to measure the density of fecal contaminants across the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve (TPMR) in Rincon, Puerto Rico. Inshore waters are intermittent creeks, receiving fecal pollution only from faulty septic tanks. Fecal indicators measurements showed higher densities near the southernmost creek mouth emptying into TPMR, a finding consistent with a larger amount of dwellings with septic tanks within this watershed (Vista Azul creek). A Septic Weight Index was constructed to analyze sewage impact from all watersheds draining into the marine reserve. Linear Regression analyses showed a significant association between these non-point source fecal pollution sources and both coastal water quality and impact on some parameters measuring the condition of Acropora palmata coral reef colonies.