[Coral-List] 82 Corals Status Review under the US Endangered Species Act

[Joaquín Rodrigo Garza Pérez]

Dear Gene and coral-listers:
One anecdote/comment about M. ferox and A. lamarcki (aside from
whatever reasons the CBD may have or the opinion on the inclusion of
82 coral species in the Endangered species act): These two species
were a more or less common sight in reefs on the 45-70 ft range, along
the fringing reef system in Quintana Roo Mexico, 10 or 12 years ago.
Now it is very and i mean very rare to come across either of them.
I've noticed it because they are a couple of my favorite coral species
(aesthetically) and i've been missing them a lot! Most of the places I
dive have lost around 70-80% of their coral cover in this last decade
(from 35% to 7-8% of total coral cover), and many species like the
ones mentioned above, and the Scolymias, have become very rare.
Does this grant their inclusion on the Endangered species act? I don't
know... under the current situation in the world I would create an
"endangered ecosystems act" and that would be global, not only in US
waters.

Cheers!

Dr. Joaquin Rodrigo Garza Perez
UMDI-Sisal, Fac. de Ciencias, UNAM
Predicción Espacial, SIG y Percepción Remota


> On Wed, May 30, 2012 at 11:00 AM,
> <coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
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>>
>> Message: 2
>> Date: Wed, 30 May 2012 11:07:45 -0400
>> From: Eugene Shinn <eshinn at marine.usf.edu>
>> Subject: [Coral-List] 82 Corals Status Review under the US      Endangered
>>        Species Act
>> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>> Message-ID: <a0623090bcbebe75f9b1d@[131.247.136.119]>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"
>>
>> I have no idea why Agaricia lamarcki or Mycetophyllia ferox are included on the list.
>>They certainly are not keystone reef builders, and I am certain they are
>> not threatened throughout their range.