Charlotteville in North-East Tobago is a very beautiful, well protected, natural harbour that is desirable for an-choring of recreational yachts during the hurricane season. The bay also has important coral reef populations. Visiting yachts traditionally anchor in or very close to vulnerable coral reef ecosystems demonstrably causing damage to the sea floor via anchors, chains and chain sweeps. This has the impact of compromising the inte-grity of the coral reefs in the area, with potential associated negative impacts on tourism and sustainable live-lihoods.Charlotteville in North-East Tobago is a very beautiful, well protected, natural harbour that is desirable for an-choring of recreational yachts during the hurricane season. The bay also has important coral reef populations. Visiting yachts traditionally anchor in or very close to vulnerable coral reef ecosystems demonstrably causing damage to the sea floor via anchors, chains and chain sweeps. This has the impact of compromising the inte-grity of the coral reefs in the area, with potential associated negative impacts on tourism and sustainable live-lihoods.
Reef vulnerability is caused by the slow reproduction and growth rate of corals that are already exposed to multiple stress factors including overfishing, climate change and pollution. Their significant value lies in the provi-sion of essential ecosystem services to coastal communities such as providing fish and vertebrae nursery grounds, protecting the shoreline, creating sand for beaches and attracting tourists to support the socioecono-mic wellbeing of local communities. Accordingly, the protection of fragile coral reefs is an environmental, so-cial and economic imperative.Reef vulnerability is caused by the slow reproduction and growth rate of corals that are already exposed to multiple stress factors including overfishing, climate change and pollution. Their significant value lies in the provi-sion of essential ecosystem services to coastal communities such as providing fish and vertebrae nursery grounds, protecting the shoreline, creating sand for beaches and attracting tourists to support the socioecono-mic wellbeing of local communities. Accordingly, the protection of fragile coral reefs is an environmental, so-cial and economic imperative.