Abstract Summary
Tropical cyclones cause great damage to coral reefs due to the rupture of coral colonies and the transport of materials from land. Recovery actions that are implemented immediately after this kind of events reduce the probability of death of several damaged colonies. In order to minimize the impact of these meteorological events The Nature Conservancy and the State Government of Quintana Roo are developing a Coastal Zone Management Trust that will purchase the world´s first ever insurance policy for coral reefs. To implement this instrument, an Early Warning Protocol and Immediate Response to the impact of tropical cyclones on the reefs of Puerto Morelos Reef National Park was elaborated, which stipulates the actions to be taken before, during and after a hurricane hit. To apply the actions of this protocol, the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas and the National Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Mexico, with support from The Nature Conservancy, organize a training directed to people from the community (33 persons in total), to carry out rapid assessments after the cyclone impacts and the primary response actions on the reef, such as removing garbage and rubbish, flipping up corals that has been detached and attaching broken fragments. Staff from the National Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture and the organization Anclamarina trained the brigades in different techniques such as: rapid evaluation of damages to define priority areas of attention, how to handle lifting bags to move heavy objects underwater, the use of pneumatic drills for anchoring rods, and developing abilities to quickly attach coral fragments, mainly of Acropora palmata. Also, the leadership among the participants was fomented to organize activities carried out in the field. Finally, a simulation exercise was conducted where the brigades put into practice the corresponding stages of the protocol, from the hurricane warning to the direct interventions on the reef. The community taking part in these actions allows more resilient reefs.
