One of the things we love best about Roatan is the great marine environment. Roatan is a developing area and with development comes the tough choices and comprimises that make up a conservation and management plan. Below is the monthly newsletter from one of the main forces on the island for protecting the reef. I hope you enjoy learning about it - Mike Carter

The Sandy Bay and West End Marine Park Bi-Monthly Newsletter Issue 1: April 2006
We would like to welcome you to the first edition of the Sandy Bay and West End Marine Park bi-monthly newsletter. The aim of this letter is to inform you, the users of the marine park, about the general benefits of marine parks, a brief history of this park and its aims and objectives, what has been achieved in the previous months and other relevant materials that you as divers, snorkelers, kayakers and other users may find informative.

General benefits of marine parks:The use of marine parks as a means of stock control dates back centuries and has become increasingly recognized as a highly advocated tool for both marine conservation and fisheries management. Proven benefits of marine parks include improved coral cover and increased size, density and abundance of fish. These therefore benefit all users of the parks, as the chance of encountering larger species such as the Nassau and black grouper becomes more common through appropriate enforcement, as well as condition of the reef improving.

For a marine protected area (MPA), to succeed in reaching its goals regarding improved water quality, reduction in fishing pressure, and protection of habitat, suitable management methods must be adopted and enforced. Sadly, this is not always the case; a report by the World Bank admits that only 30% of Caribbean and 10% of East Asian MPAs have achieved their management goals. A further report reviewing the success of marine parks found that only 9% achieved their management objectives. This means that of the world's 361 million km2 of ocean, less than 1% is covered by MPAs, with 71% appearing to have no management scheme at all. These parks are often referred to as `paper parks', existing at the level of legislation but not implementation. MPAs in poorer tropical areas such as Indonesia and the Philippines frequently fall into this category due to a lack of local backing and a top down approach, run by the government and not involving local communities. Through the adoption of integrated coastal management, community based conservation programs that adopt a grass-root or bottom-up approach have become increasingly successful, with prime examples including Apo Island in the Philippines and here in the Bay Islands. Though the Sandy Bay and West End Marine Park (SBWEMP) had a shaky infancy that almost placed it into the category of a paper parks, through the determination and generosity of local dive operators and businesses. the park is on its way to being managed by an official non- government organization (NGO). We now hope that through official status and funding from users, the park will become a prime example of what people can achieve when working together for a joint goal.

History of the park:The park dates back to 1989 when the local community created the Sandy Bay Marine Reserve to protect the shoreline and marine habitats adjacent to the shoreline, encompassing an area of 6km. In 1992 the Bay Island's Conservation Association was elected to supervise the administration and management of the reserve and by 1993, the communities of West End and West Bay agreed to extend the Sandy Bay Marine Reserve. Currently the park encompasses 13km of reefs running from Gibson Bight all the way around to the western tip of the island, to an area known as Key Hole on the south side. Following serious concerns for the lack of formal management, the local diving communities in Sandy Bay, West End and West Bay took matters into their own hands, joining together in a collaborative, "bottom-up" effort, in order to save our reefs for further generations to dive and enjoy. With the help of the local dive shops and business through generous contributions and support, the park has been able to provide some formal management. There are currently two patrol boats manned by four park rangers and four Policia Preventiva officers who patrol within the park and have successfully confiscated illegal fishing gear and boats used by poachers. With the continuing support from the major stakeholders and you, the user, who contribute paying a reef fee through the purchase of marine park tags, there is hope for the reefs to recover to their original splendor.

About the reef fee:MPAs have the dual benefits of protecting both the coral reefs and fish populations that make the area more attractive for you the user. However, MPAs are not cheap and come at a cost, with even a small park with few staff having an annual budget exceeding $100,000. There is therefore the problem of funding parks to be effective in their management and enforcement. A variety of financing mechanisms include government subvention, international assistance, personal donations, commercial and bi-lateral debt swaps and trust funds. What has now been widely adopted in most marine parks globally is charging divers and other users of the park a user fee; this is what the tag you buy represents. The money from the tags purchased helps finance the 2 patrol boats to make daily rounds within the park and prevent poachers. Being able to provide constant patrols reduces pressure from poaching and enables that the large fish you hope to see in the water remain where they should be: in the sea, and not on a plate.

This means that your $5 can really make a differenceSince November 2005, the SBWEMP has promoted the sale of tags from virtually all dive shops in the area. This money is a much-needed form of finance and has helped pay for new engines and new mooring lines. The table opposite summarizes park user fees throughout the Caribbean, and by comparing daily or annual fees, the SBWEMP is by far the least expensive.

The big question regarding user fees is what are people willing to pay? In Uganda a permit to see wild gorillas last year was approximately US $200. It is now $360, an increase of 180%, yet people are still willing to pay this. I'm sure in years to come this fee may reach $1000 and still the price will be met by users. The same holds for MPAs, where additional revenue from increased user fees could promote further conservation developments.

Last year the Bonaire Marine Park, Netherlands Antilles, raised its annual diver fee from $10 to $25, yet divers pay this fee as they feel that they are directly contributing to the welfare of the reefs, which they are. Divers on Utila must pay a daily $3 fee which can add up very quickly over several days. These however are examples of fully established MPAs which have had years to develop an infrastructure. As we, the SBWEMP, are still in our infancy as a park, there is a great deal of objectives to meet before the end of the year. We feel that the $5 user fee for divers and snorkelers is not asking too much. What you contribute today will hopefully ensure that there will be reefs for tomorrow.

Current state of affairs:The global status of coral reefs are of a poor affair, with 25% either dead or dying and a further 30% classified as being `at risk'. It is highly likely that there are no pristine reefs left in even the remotest corners of our oceans. This astounding level of degradation has happened merely within a generation. In the Caribbean alone, nearly two thirds of reefs are threatened by human activities, with the Bay Islands identified as being particularly at risk from coastal development. Uncontrolled development, over-fishing, curio trade collecting, pollution, sedimentation due to logging and land clearance, destructive tourism and mismanagement are all contributing to this loss. When these factors are added to natural stressors such as coral disease, bleaching and storm damage, the outlook is bleak. With the reef degrading at its current rate, it seems that in the near future there will no longer be anything left to preserve. We at the SBWEMP with your help can prevent this devastating reality from occurring.

How you personally can help:· Do not stand on or touch the coral, they are living animals and not JUST ROCKS!· Please take your trash with you and deposit it in suitable containers, and if you see trash on the beach, PLEASE don't ignore it, PICK IT UP!· Do not promote the sale of curios, they may look pretty on your desk, but look much more beautiful in their natural environment.· Become an advocate for the park and if you see others littering or disrupting the reef, please inform them that they are within a marine park and should act accordingly.

Future developments of the park:As time goes by the SBWEMP intends to expand its day to day running and become more involved with both the infrastructure of the area and the local communities. These objectives will include:• Continuation of patrols, surveillance and enforcement. • Community involvement and public outreach programs.• Improvement of the marine infrastructure through moorings, channel markers and other navigational aids.• Organized research and monitoring projects.• Increased public awareness through informative literature and other means.

Relevant web sites:For more information regarding park fees see paper entitled "Recreational scuba diving in Caribbean Marine Protected Area: Do users pay?" at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/mlpa/pdfs/comments/kfc_072905a.pdf

If you want to know more about fish you see out in the park, visit www.fishbase.org, which has an index of almost 30,000 species of fish.

If you want to know more about the reefs, go to www.reefbase.org which contains global information regarding coral reefs.

The SBWEMP would like to thank all those that have backed the park and continued with their ongoing support. These include:Anthony's Key Resort, Banana Rama, Bay Island Beach Resort, Blue Bahia, Chris Benson, Coconut Tree Divers, Dean Milverton, Julio Galindo, Marco Galindo, Las Rocas, Luna Beach, Native Sons, Ocean Connections, Octopus Divers, Paradise Computers, Phil Weir, Pura Vida, Re/max, Reef Gliders, Seagrapes, Carl Stanley, Sueno del Mar, TGI, The Inn at the Last Resort, Tylls, West End Divers and all others that have helped in the establishment, development and the day to day running of the park.