Massive coral mortality confirmed in the Granma Landing National Park.

The massive mortality of the species Acropora palmata, one of the most important from an ecological standpoint due to its role in coral reef formation, has been confirmed in the Granma Landing National Park.

The Eastern Center for Ecosystems and Biodiversity (Bioeco), based in Santiago de Cuba, confirmed via Facebook that its specialists, along with local technicians, documented the tragic event during a recent monitoring.

Jorge Antonio Tamayo Fonseca, from Bioeco, reported that in several dives conducted in the area it was found that 99% of the Acropora palmata colonies showed old mortality, likely as a result of the recent coral bleaching event that took place in 2023.

This phenomenon, exacerbated by the rise in water temperature, pollution, and other environmental factors, has had a devastating impact on the health of corals.

During the monitoring, which covered a distance of 7.5 kilometers, 3.5 of which were outside the Reef Crest in the Cabo Cruz area, 14 study stations were established, each separated by 250 meters.

Five people participated in the execution of the protocol, filming videos at each station to gather crucial data about the health of the corals.

Tamayo emphasized that corals are extremely sensitive to changes in water temperature, quality, and increased acidity, among other stress factors.

When corals are under stress, they can expel zooxanthellae, organisms that provide them with their color and most of their nutrients. Without these, corals undergo a process known as bleaching, which can lead to their death.

Bioeco, through the Biomar group, remains committed to the research and monitoring of marine ecosystems, participating in numerous national and international projects.

In 2023, Cuban scientists eliminated the first appearance in the country of Unomia stolonifera, an invasive species of white coral, which was discovered in September 2022 in the bay of Bacuranao, in the east of Havana.

The species, which is believed to have arrived in Cuba from Venezuela, according to scientists, was only confined to one square meter of the wall of the bucket, at a depth of 11 meters, fixed on a layer of incrusting red calcareous algae, according to a scientific study cited by the Cuban Science Network (Redcien).

However, the study and conservation of corals has been a major concern for the regime, although it has acknowledged that it has few resources to carry out that scientific activity.

In 2022, researchers from the Guanahacabibes National Park and the National Aquarium of Cuba apply coral reproduction techniques in that peninsula of Pinar del Río to ensure the protection of two species declared endangered due to human activities and natural phenomena.

It is a novel assisted fertilization procedure for the species Acropora palmata (known as elk horn) and Acropora cervicornis (commonly referred to as staghorn), which have been declared critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, experts involved in the monitoring and scientific research of corals stated to Granma.