Drought Affects Coral Reefs: Small Hotel Industry and Tourism Threatened

This has caused much concern considering the island has been exerting much effort to promote environmental awareness and improvement. One of the best in the Caribbean, the coral reefs of Barbados, which act as natural barriers off the coast of the island, are in extreme danger due to the extensive drought that has plagued several of the eastern Caribbean nations since early last year.

One of the best in the Caribbean, the coral reefs of Barbados, which act as natural barriers off the coast of the island, are in extreme danger due to the extensive drought that has plagued several of the eastern Caribbean nations since early last year. This has caused much concern considering the island has been exerting much effort to promote environmental awareness and improvement.

The Caribbean has been a popular place for vacations, especially the tiny island of Barbados. Every Barbados small hotel and other accommodations are more often than not well received by guests and critics alike. However, the hotel sector expressed some concern over the danger threatening the coral reefs because aside from the environmental implications, it may contribute to negative effects on business as well.

According to Loma Inniss, the deputy director of the Unit of Management of Coastal Regions, the continuously rising temperature of the surface waters and the scarcity of rainfall are the culprits for the dire situation the coral reefs of the island are in. She explained that these two factors led to the whitening of the marine structures which would in turn lead to their eventual death and most likely their inevitable extinction.

This phenomenon of whitening structures is actually a de-pigmentation, or the loss of color, of the coral colonies that surround the nation. In addition to this, it will cause a massive, unnatural release of algae that compose them.

Inniss emphasized that this widespread death of the reefs implies that there has been a loss of protection against the natural occurrences and events such as hurricanes, tsunamis and winter swells that are expected in the western side of the coast of the Caribbean island, Barbados.
The deputy director added that the death of the reefs implies a loss of protection against natural events such as hurricanes, tsunamis and winter swells expected in the western coast of the Caribbean island.

Furthermore, she gravely pointed out and directed attention to the entry of salt water in the aquiferous area of the coastal waters. Apparently, this was caused by the intensive exploitation of underground reserves of this important element during the ongoing drought that has been plaguing the region for a long time now.

In response to this threat, the government has recently announced the introduction of measures to limit the consumption of water resources for domestic and agricultural activities, even by the industry of Barbados small hotel, in case the drought continues. Also the legislation will stipulate fines of more than $300 USD and even prison sentences if the new laws are broken.

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