Caribbean Sea

The marine and coastal ecosystem of the Caribbean Sea includes coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds, reaching an approximate area of 2.8 million km². These ecosystems are among the most diverse and productive in the world.

They provide safety to coastal communities, acting as natural barriers that reduce the impact of floods and storms. Additionally, mangroves in this ecosystem filter and purify water, while coral reefs generate more sand for the pristine beaches of the Caribbean. Without coral reefs, it is estimated that 25% of all marine life would die.

The loss of biodiversity in the Caribbean Sea is due to a lack of infrastructure and regulation for treating greywater and industrial waste that pollutes water sources (mainly from agribusiness), ocean pollution caused by shipping and plastic waste, poor planning in coastal and oceanic areas related to tourism, habitat loss and overexploitation of marine resources due to fishing, and conflicts of interest that limit the protection of ecologically valuable areas. It's also important to mention that widespread deforestation in the Amazon contributes to the proliferation of invasive species like sargassum along Caribbean coasts (Berenguer et al., 2021).