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CHARITY BLOG
THE FRAGILITY OF THE GULF OF MEXICO
Any environmental disaster in the Gulf would cause huge damage
With great power comes great responsibility. For the Gulf of Mexico, the power lies in holding some of the top fishing ports in the US and tourism industry worth $20 billion. The responsibility is to the many of the world’ most endangered mammals that live in its waters. Due to the unique geographical makeup of the coastline, even smaller-scale industrial disasters than have been seen around the world in recent years, could be devastating to the fragile ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico.
Trapped
The worst case scenario would be an oil spill, with very little of the marine life along its 3,500 miles (5,600km) of coastline expected to escape unharmed. This is because the pollution would be trapped within the encircling land, with Gulf waters draining into the ocean through only a narrow entrance between Florida and Cuba.
At Risk
The potential for a catastrophic environmental incident is made worse by the number of species in the area that are already highly endangered.
There are more than 3,300 marine species in the Gulf, including six endangered species of whale. Its shores include the only known nesting beach of Kemp’s Ridley, the world’s most endangered sea turtle. There are populations of protected Hawksbill, Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles, which are about to begin their nesting season and would be particularly vulnerable to oil washed up on beaches. There are also several shark species declared to be “of concern” because of declining populations.
Key Habitat
As well as containing many species on the brink of extinction, the Gulf region is a crucial habitat for many others, and so any damage could push animals that are now safe and healthy towards a more worrying status.
It contains about five million acres of wetlands, which are an essential habitat for three quarters of all of the migrating waterfowl that cross the US. It is also home to one of the world’s largest populations of bottlenose dolphins, with an estimated 45,000 in its waters.
Don’t Panic
Thankfully a disaster on the scale of that described above has not yet occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. So long as its industries remain vigilant, and conservation groups continue to closely monitor the situation, we can hope to only ever speculate on the effects and never see what its effects in reality.
