CARIOUEAN SEA TABLE 2.2 - 17 EcosYSTEM AssESSMENT (Concluded) urea estimates Extent Most recent, rcliuble, mangrove area estimate Country/ Area St. Vincent and Grcnntlincs Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands United Stales Virgin Islands Central America and the Caribbean Ret: Year ha Mangrove Mangrove Annual Mangrnw arcu 1980 arl!a change area 1990 1980-1990 2000 ha ha ha hu Annual change 1990-2000 hn 51 1991 60 52 ·I lA 45 ··0.7 ·1.4 7.150 1991 9.000 7.200 -ISO ·2.2 6,600 --60 -0.9 23,600 1991 23,600 23.600 n.s. n.s. 23,600 n.s. n.s. 978 1991 978 978 n.s. n.s. 978 n.s. n.s. 1.417.238 1994 1,738.289 1.493.402 -244,887 -1.4 1,325,407 --167,995 ·-1.1 Colombia 379.954 1996 440,000 396.600 -4.340 -·1.0 354.500 -4.210 -1.1 Vcnczucln 250,000 1986 260.000 240,000 -2.000 ·0.8 230.000 1.000 ·0.4 South America 629,954 1992 700.000 636.600 ··63,400 ·0.9 584.500 -52,100 ·0.8 NOTES m TilE TAULE: According to FAO. the 1980, 1990. und 2000 ligures huve been detennincd as tollows: I. When sullidenl quantitative infonnution pem1i11ed a reliable trend unalysis, 1980, 1990, and :!000 ligures were based on the results of a regression analysis (Central America: Antigua and Barbuda, Bcliw, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic. El Salvador. Grenada. Guadeloupe, Guatemala. Honduras, Martinique. Panama, Puerto Rico: South America: Colombia, Venezuela). 2. Where recent inlonnation was umtvailable the extrapolation to ycur 2000 wns based on the rate 1990-2000 as reported in the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) 2000 (FAO 200 I: Cemral America: Cayman Islands. l'v!ontserrat, Netherlands Antilles. U.S. Virgin Islands), or on expert estimation (Central Amcricu and Caribbean: Anguilla. Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Costa Rica, Dominica. llaili, St. Lucia, Turks und Caicos islands). 3. Where insullicient inlorrnatiun was availublc, the area for 1980 nnd 1990 were based on the overalllorest rates us in the Global FRA 2000 (FAO 2001; Central Americu and Caribbcun: Nicamgun. St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadine-s. Trinidad and Tobago}, and in the FRA 1990 (FAO I995:Caribbcun: Buhamus). SOURCE! Adapted from FAO 2002, 2003a. 2. 7.5 lntenlepemleuce of Caribbetm llabitttts It is importnnt to note that, besides the large diversity of species that arc resident in mangrove and seagrass communities, there is a continuous !low of biomass between these habitats and coral reefs in all directions. It is therefore necessary to consider all three habitats as one large interdependent marine ecosystem with shared biodiversity. In addition, mangroves and scagrass communities arc permanent recipients of planktonic larvae from the open sea (Eggleston 1995) and, in return, nurture crustaceans whose larvae provide food for ocean-going !Ish and mammals. This interdependent nature of the marine ecosystem is a vital consideration in the management of the Caribbean Sea, as degradation of one type of habitat can have tarreaching impacts on the services provided to human communities by another. For example, the clearing of seagrass beds for cosmetic reasons could allcct income from lisherics and, in the long run, speed up erosion of nearby beaches, which might reduce the appeal of a particular tourist resort and therefore damage local livelihoods. - 38-